As is often the case, it doesn’t take the criminal fraternity long to latch onto contemporary issues. We have been informed via the UK Police of a new text-based scam using the COVID-19 vaccination program as it’s ‘hook’. It starts with a text, seemingly from the NHS saying that you are now eligible to apply for the new vaccine and to click on the link to apply.

The link takes you to a website, which looks genuine and asks the user to complete a form asking for the following information:

• Name
• Date of Birth
• Address
• Payment card details
• Proof of address

As you can see from the above, this should automatically ring alarm bells, as we all know, the vaccine is FREE.

As always, please remain alert and always follow this advice:

• Do NOT click on links in unknown texts – always check it first
• NEVER give out your personal details
• Be aware, with the recent approval of multiple vaccines in the UK, these types of scam attempts are likely to continue as fraudsters look to take advantage of the rollout
• Cold calls regarding the vaccine are also being reported, ALWAYS seek to identify a cold caller and call them back