The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid 19) pandemic has created unthinkable precedents in society and a surrealistic landscape that is still unfolding. Billions of people globally have been forced to stay at home. Millions of people are out of work. Thousands have died. Our neighborhoods have turned eerily quiet. Industries and supply chains have been disrupted in a way not seen for generations. A lot of businesses have cratered and some jobs simply disappeared. Organized crime has been quick to rear its ugly head, mounting large scale offensives to defraud customers by preying on their fear. Scores of scammers are on the prowl. These criminals are coming out in full force and are quickly pouncing on unsuspecting victims.

Across the world, we have seen an increase in fraudulent scams. The crisis has created the perfect storm in which three elements have aligned: the social disturbance and the uncertainty provided the right opportunity for policy procedures and standard checks to go out of the window; financial uncertainty and job losses are creating financial pressure; and bad behavior is rationalized because the dire circumstances is justifying actions of disgruntled and desperate employees. These same employees were previously upright citizens during the “old normal.”

Premium + Digital Edition

Ad-free access


P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
  • Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
  • Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)

TRY FREE FOR 14 DAYS
See details
See details