With cases of COVID-19 increasing across the UK and with the country now plunged into yet another lockdown, the most vulnerable to this devastating virus are desperately waiting to receive the newly approved Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines.
Sadly, it appears that cybercriminals are now preying on people who believe they are next in line to get these lifesaving jabs. Police are warning that a growing number of scams are appearing which can leave people facing substantial phone bills or give hackers access to personal bank accounts.
One recent scam that’s been spotted asks people to press a number on their telephone keypad if they want to get the vaccine. However, this is actually a premium rate call which is then charged to the account holder.
Paul Bischoff, Privacy Advocate at Comparitech.com, said: “Coronavirus-related scams have been a problem since the beginning of the pandemic, so it’s no surprise that the vaccine brings with it a new wave of fraud. Always be sceptical of any unsolicited message sent to your phone or email and never click on links or attachments. Know that the vaccine will be free when available in most countries, so anyone asking for payment is probably a scammer. Seek out information through your country’s health officials – the NHS, in this case.”
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