Online scammers exploiting Brexit fears to pass on malware and spyware

Following the Brexit vote, security companies have reported a steep increase in email scams, with cybercriminals looking to capitalise on the fears of UK citizens.

Spammers have been busy cramming email inboxes with mails titled "Brexit causes historic market drop,'' to pass on malware and spyware.

"We have certainly noted an increase in the use of Brexit-related topics in email to encourage users to click on content since last Friday's referendum," James Chappell, co-founder of Digital Shadows, told The Telegraph.

"A common ploy being used by cybercriminals is to send emails that reference 'Brexit causes historic market drop' designed to create urgency in the recipient to click a link or open an attachment as a means of delivering malware."

It was thought people concerned about Brexit might be directly targeted by the scammers by monitoring of social media posts, IP addresses and publicly displayed contact information.

According to Chappell people who received an email of the nature from an unknown source should delete it immediately.

"Do not open attachments or links, and delete these types of emails straight away," he said.