Author: FVCA

Once again, criminals are using Covid-19 to try and scam consumers out of money and personal details. Currently there are many scams circulating regarding to this, pretending to be from different organisations such as the NHS, the World Health Organisation or even your local pharmacy.

These scams may come in the form of text messages, phone calls, websites or even in person. When using text messages, people may be asked to press a number on their keypad or to reply to confirm they wish to receive a vaccine – this may result in a charge being put on the person’s phone bill and a loss of personal information.

Over the phone, criminals may impersonate health officials so they can offer a vaccine in exchange for a fee or requesting bank details to “verify” your details. Emails are making the rounds which often have an attachment or link to book your vaccine. These attachments may contain malware which infects your device and steals information. The links may go to a fake convincing looking vaccine booking forms and may contain some of your personal details to give you confidence in the website – however at the end of the form they will request bank details or further information about you.

With so many different scams relating to Covid-19, it is important to remember the following about the NHS:

• They will never ask for payment – the vaccine is free

• They will never ask for your bank details

• They will never arrive at your home to administer the vaccine unannounced

• They will never ask you to prove your identity by sending copies of personal documents such as NHS letters, passports or other identification documents.

Action Fraud received 537 reports in 48 hours relating to fake emails purporting to be from British Gas. The emails state that the recipient is due a refund because of overpayment and there is a link to a phishing website requesting personal and financial information.

As part of the scam alert, an example of the message has been released by Action Fraud. It states: “Hello, British Gas wants to inform you that you are eligible for a payment refund of £594. “Our records indicate that you have paid more than you should have for your British Gas Service from 2017-2019 and because of this reason, we have decided to refund you the total amount which you have overpaid.”

A link is also included in the email, which leads to phishing websites that are designed to steal personal and financial information, Action Fraud said. As with all potential suspicious or scam emails, forward them to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) via report@phishing.gov.uk

There has been a rise in the number of scam calls which are energy-related recently. These may come in the form of calls which promise you a reduced bill if you sign up to their service or the call may be from criminals pretending to be your energy provider and demanding money.

The criminals try to take advantage of people by calling and demanding payment immediately. The scams can use intimidating and aggressive tactics, such as pretending to be a representative of your energy provider and insisting you are behind on your energy bills. If you are concerned it may be a scam, hang up the phone and call back on a number which you know to be genuine. Here are some warning signs that you can look out for:

• Threats to cut your power immediately if you do not pay

• Unclear details about your current agreement with your energy provider

• Requests for money transfers or prepaid debit cards

The NHS COVID Pass was recently launched by the NHS, so people can prove their COVID vaccine or test status. This pass may be asked for when travelling abroad or if you are attending events and venues in England that ask for proof of your COVID-19 status. The pass can come in a digital form via the NHS app for vaccine or test statuses or a paper copy to prove your vaccination status.

The NHS COVID Pass is completely free and can only be obtained via the NHS app or using the online NHS COVID Pass service via the website NHS.UK. For the paper copy version, you can request it via the NHS website or by calling 119.

Criminals have been using this as a tactic trying to get people to part with their money or their details. These have come in the form of emails and texts which invite you to apply for the pass by clicking on a link. The link takes you to a convincing fake NHS website which will capture your personal details. These are the same tactics that we’ve seen previously relating to vaccines.

With so many different scams relating to Covid-19, it is important to remember the following about the NHS:

• They will never ask for payment – the vaccine is free

• They will never ask for your bank details

• They will never arrive at your home to administer the vaccine unannounced

• They will never ask you to prove your identity by sending copies of personal documents such as NHS letters, passports or other identification documents.

If you have received any emails or texts, it’s important to report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, Monday-Friday 8am-8pm. Or online at: reporting.actionfraud.police.uk.

You should also forward any scam emails to the National Cyber Security Centre at report@phishing.gov.uk and forward any scam texts to your network operator at 7726.