| Criminals have been using the Covid-19 pandemic to solicit financial donations by impersonating legitimate charities.With the Covid-19 crisis in India being widely reported globally, it is likely that criminals may use the crisis in India to scam members of the public wanting to help.Key advice from Age UK if you receive a suspicious fundraising email or text message:• Be wary of unsolicited communication from a charity or any organisation you have had no previous contact with.• Think about whether you have donated before. Some scammers try to trick you into paying them by thanking you for a donation that you never made.• Do not click on any links or open any attachments in a suspicious email, text or social media message.• Do not reply to spam or suspicious emails or texts, even to say no.• If you receive a text message asking you do donate via your mobile, please be aware that texts from charities are always send from numbers between 70000 to 70999. You can also confirm the phone number on the charity’s official website.• Beware of spoofed email addresses and phone numbers. Criminals can easily make an email, text or call look like it comes from a legitimate source. If in doubt, verify what you have received is genuine with a known verified point of contact |