"Amid the COVID-19 driven disruption in the sense of normalcy, coupled with stressors including concerns with health, family, work, and debt – as well as fears of fraud itself – people are less capable of keeping their guards up against clever attempts at deception.
“Stress and anxiety put us into fight or flight mode, maximizing our potential to respond quickly to a threat,” said Dr. Christine Purdon, a psychologist from the University of Waterloo"