Criminals continue to use variations of methods to scam the public by encouraging us to part with our personal details, says the counter-fraud trade association Cifas.
The NHS continues to warn the UK public of the risks of scam emails and texts targeting COVID-19 vaccine bookings. These messages purport to come from the NHS, and include a link to register for the vaccine as well as asking for bank details for verification purposes. Cifas is reminding people that the NHS will:
– Never ask for payment – the vaccine is free;
– Never ask you for your bank details;
– Never arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine; and
– Never ask you to prove your identity by sending copies of personal documents.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) meanwhile has evidence of a text scam themed around the UK’s exit from the European Union. The text message reads: “we need to verify your identity to keep up with EU standards”. The message then instructs the recipient that “to avoid restrictions” they must visit a website to upload their personal details.
Katherine Hart, a Lead Officer at CTSI, said: “Scammers are using public uncertainty over the Brexit deal to obtain crucial personal details which could put people’s bank accounts at risk of being stolen. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen many different scams target the public along those lines, while Brexit is providing another theme for scammers to use.
“It is vital that the public reports these messages to the authorities, and especially any websites connected to them. Doing so provides essential intelligence and enables the authorities to take down malicious websites and fraud networks swiftly.”
Amber Burridge, Head of Fraud Intelligence for Cifas, said: “Once they have their hands on these details, it’s likely they will be used to facilitate identity fraud, which accounted for 60 per cent of cases filed to the National Fraud Database last year. I would urge anyone that is asked for their personal or financial details to think carefully and consider the potential consequences of parting with this information. Where possible, avoid clicking on links in emails and try to take steps to verify the identity of the person or organisation contacting you.
‘As the distribution of the vaccine begins to increase and more groups become able to book their vaccine, spotting when a message is obviously fake may become more difficult. Remember that the NHS will never ask for your banking details as part of booking your vaccination and check the website you are using has an official NHS URL.’
What to do
To report scams, contact Action Fraud, or if in Scotland, contact Police Scotland. To report email scams, contact the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) by emailing [email protected]. For consumer advice, call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.
