Avast flags money scams as threat amid Ukraine violence

Cybersecurity firm Avast Plc on Friday warned of cyber criminals seeking to take advantage of the chaos surrounding Russia's invasion of Ukraine to make quick money, terming it a threat.

"We have tracked in the last 48 hours a number of scammers who are tricking people out of money by pretending they are Ukrainians in desperate need of financial help," the company said in a mail to Reuters.

The London-listed company also said it was halting its services in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which it described as "newly embargoed territories."

Avast said it was suspending its services to current users and withdrawing their availability to new users in the two territories.

Ukraine and Russia together represent about 1% of Avast's total revenue.