This edition of West Mercia Police‘s Community Messaging Live Feed focuses on phishing emails, which have been on the increase during the coronavirus pandemic.
‘Phishing’ is a type of online fraud in which criminals attempt to gather sensitive information about their victims – such as passwords or credit card details – by making their email look like it came from a trustworthy person or organisation, such as a bank, utilities provider, or a government agency. Victims are typically asked to visit a website and enter the details the scammer is attempting to steal.
The full text of the Community Messaging Live Feed is reproduced below.
Forward any suspect emails to: report@phishing.gov.uk
In just over two weeks, the public has passed on more than 160,000 suspect emails.
- National Cyber Security Centre reveals range of fraudulent sites it has blocked with the help of the British public
- Scams include attempts to exploit coronavirus fears through fake offers of testing kits and face masks
- Public have flagged more than 160,000 messages to the NCSC’s new suspicious email reporting service – with more than 1,400 links to scams removed
CYBER security experts have today lifted the lid on some of the online scams which the British public have reported to a pioneering new Suspicious Email Reporting Service.
Emails reported to the National Cyber Security Centre include callous attempts by criminals to exploit the coronavirus through fake offers of face masks and testing kits.
The NCSC has shared some examples of what it has removed with the help of the reporting service.
These include:
- Scam web pages that have been flagged include mock-ups of official GOV.uk and TV licencing websites. Visitors are lured into giving their billing information to scammers posing as these legitimate organisations.
- There has also been scam web pages purporting to sell coronavirus linked bogus products such as testing kits, face makes and even vaccines. The NCSC noted a rise in cyber crime exploiting the coronavirus pandemic last month.
The automated email reporting service makes it easier than ever for people to help protect others from falling victim to scams.
To use it, people are asked to simply forward suspect emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. If they are found to link to malicious content, it will be taken down or blocked, helping prevent future victims of crime.
Reporting fraud and Cybercrime: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime where you should report fraud if you have been scammed, defrauded or experienced cybercrime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger call 999.