Revealed: The emails being sent out by fraudsters to try and con people into paying for fake Covid vaccinations
Police urge everyone to be alert as scammers step up their efforts
Derry Now has been sent these screengrabs from a reader who received one of the scam emails today.
Please share to ensure that people are aware of what to look out for.
Police are urging members of the public to also be aware of a phishing text message scam circulating telling people that they are ‘eligible’ for the Covid 19 vaccination.
The scam message reads ‘we have identified that you are eligible to apply for your vaccine’ and links to a convincing, but fake, NHS page which then asks for bank details.
Chief Superintendent Simon Walls said: “We know that fraudsters will stop at nothing to dupe people out of their money and they aim to exploit the pandemic for financial gain.
“I am urging people to remain vigilant, fraudsters don’t care who their victim is, they know the desire people have to get the vaccine and they see this as a chance to get their hands on their money.
“Be sceptical and on your guard, If you receive a text or email that asks you to click on a link or for you to provide information, such as your name, credit card or bank details, it's a likely to be a scam.
“Don’t hit the link, if you are dealing with someone about a Covid 19 vaccination and they ask you for money, this is a huge red flag, hang up and stop dealing with them.
“It’s also important that if you have older members of family, talk with them and tell them legitimate providers of this vaccine will never seek their banking information. This is a really important conversation to have.”