German state halts corona aid payments over fake websites

Germany's federal criminal police has said it is bracing for an uptick in scams as criminals try to take advantage of the coronavirus aid schemes, already taken up by tens of thousands of business owners. — AP

FRANKFURT AM MAIN: The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on April 9 halted emergency payments meant to help freelancers and small businesses through the coronavirus crisis after discovering fraudsters were using spoof websites to trick applicants.

The regional economy ministry of Germany's most populous state said it had filed a fraud complaint with local police following "indications of fake websites that appear prominently in search results".