WEST Mercia Police has issued an warning as criminals continue to take advantage of coronavirus vaccine roll-out with phishing emails.

The email, which attempts to trick people into handing over their bank details, was reported more than 1,000 times in 24 hours.

It appears to come from the NHS and asks the recipient to click on a link to accept or decline an invitation to receive the coronavirus vaccine. If they click accept, they are asked to input personal information and their bank card details.

The national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime has previously warned about coronavirus vaccine scams, with many people reporting receiving fake text messages purporting to be from the NHS.

scam screenshot

scam screenshot

Detective Sergeant Jon Cooper from the West Mercia Police Economic Crime Unit, is warning the public to remain vigilant as fraudsters continue to act: “It’s despicable that fraudsters are taking advantage of such an important tool in our fight against this deadly disease. Not only are people being targeted with this email and at risk of losing money or having their identity stolen, but they are also at risk of not receiving the genuine vaccine.

“The public have been fantastic at reporting these scams to us and Action Fraud and raising awareness in their local community as well. Unfortunately, as this latest phishing campaign shows, we still have to remain cautious and alert. Remember: anything purporting to be from the NHS asking you to pay for the vaccine, or provide your bank account or card details, is a scam.”

The vaccine is free of charge and at no point will you be asked to pay.

If you receive a call you believe to be fraudulent, hang up. If you are suspicious about an email you have received, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk. Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to the number 7726 which is free of charge.

If you believe you are the victim of a fraud, please report this to Action Fraud as soon as possible by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.