Scammers are targeting the public in Scotland with fake emails urging them to pay to register for the Covid-19 jab.
The NHS has this week urged people not to sign up for invitations to have the coronavirus vaccination.
Instead people are advised to send details of any suspicious emails they receive to a national scam reporting service.
The scam email includes a link to register for the vaccine, but no registration for the real vaccination is required.
The fake site also asks for bank details either to verify identification or to make a payment.
Gordon Young, Head of Counter Fraud Services at NHS Scotland, said: “During the Covid-19 pandemic, NHSScotland has been under increasing pressure and this includes the NHS and its staff being the target of new frauds.
These frauds are also aimed at members of the public. It is totally unacceptable that at a time of a national health crisis, unscrupulous individuals would attempt to take advantage of the health service and the public.”
As the Covid-19 vaccination is being rolled out across Scotland, NHSScotland Counter Fraud Services have seen a spike in associated scams, including asking people to pay to book their vaccinations. It is vitally important that members of the public know that the NHS will never:
- Ask for, or accept, cash for vaccines
- Ask for your banking details or identity documents
- Email you to arrange your COVID-19 vaccination
- Turn up at your residence unannounced
If you receive an email like this, you can forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk and also report to Crimestoppers dedicated COVID fraud team on the below link:
Related posts
Interviews
Comment
Please mind the gap… or healthcare may fall
Imagine sharing a lengthy train journey with others. From beginning to end, imagine how often you might hear ‘mind the gap’ messages about embarking and disembarking safely. Picture how navigating…
Women Lead: My journey from Dragons’ Den to Silicon Valley
Following her appearance on Dragons’ Den, Sheila Hogan, serial entrepreneur, founder and chief executive of digital legacy vault, Biscuit Tin, shares her experience of her time in the Den and…
Look anywhere – the future is ‘aged tech’. But Scotland needs to be more adventurous
Scottish Care, as the representative body of independent social care providers of care home, care at home and housing support services, has been working over several years with colleagues in…
Women Lead: Engineer turned entrepreneur
We are always fascinated by other people’s stories. It’s how we connect, grow and learn from each other. Until very recently I always felt like I didn’t have a story to tell. Who…
‘Women – together we will change the dynamic in tech’
I was inspired to start a career in technology when personal computers were in their infancy and the internet decades away. My childhood dream of becoming a scientist was shaped by…
It’s time to change the future of tech apprenticeships – and we need your help
In his latest exclusive column for Futurescot, Ross Tuffee, chair of the Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Digital Economy Skills Group, calls on tech employers to get involved in shaping the…
What AI difference a year makes
Amazingly, it’s been one year since the publication of Scotland’s AI Strategy. And what a year it has been. Demanding but rewarding, with good progress made and great foundations laid…
International Women’s Day: It’s time to harness power of women in technology
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I hope to be part of a future where barriers that prevent women from competing on a level playing field in the work environment…