Fraud Alert - Covid Booster Scam
Published: 20 December 2021
The Covid-19 vaccine and the boosters are all offered free of charge in the UK, and you will not have to pay at any stage of the process, either for booking an appointment, a handling fee or for the vaccine itself.
Please read our recent press release below with details of two recent reports and advice on how to avoid Covid booster scams this winter:
When booking an appointment for your coronavirus vaccination or booster, please remember to be vigilant following reports of two vulnerable people in Sussex targeted by scammers.
The first incident happened on Tuesday (14 December) where the victim received a text message to her mobile phone from what appeared to be the NHS. The message stated that she was now eligible for her Covid booster with a link.
She filled out the form which included all her personal details such as her address and her banking details, where the form stated there was a £1.99 fee for the booster hence the need for banking details.
Once the victim submitted the form she received a call from an 0800 number claiming to be her bank and told her there had been some fraudulent use on her bank account and she needed to move money to a new account which they had created for her.
A second case involved a 91-year-old man from Pulborough, who received an email from what he thought to be a valid NHS email which said he needed to pay £2.40 delivery fee for a PCR test. He followed that link and entered his credit card details. Later he questioned the legitimacy of the email and managed to block outgoing payments from his credit card.
Bernadette Lawrie, Operation Signature lead for Surrey Police and Sussex Police, said: “We continue to see heartless fraudsters exploiting the pandemic to target individuals when they are at their most vulnerable. We would urge the public to be aware of the tactics being used including spoofing telephone numbers so they appear legitimate and remind people that the Covid-19 vaccines and NHS testing services are free and will not request your bank card details.”
Detective Chief Inspector Robert Walker said: “If you receive any communication that you were not expecting please be very careful about what you do. Never give your banking details out, ever. If you need to verify anything with your bank, the NHS or whomever has sent a communication to you, separately phone or log onto the official website and never follow a link sent to you that you are not sure of.”
All incidents of fraud should be reported to Action Fraud which is the UK’s national fraud reporting centre, here (https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/) or by calling 0300 123 2040 Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm.
Where the victim of fraud is elderly or vulnerable, reports can be made directly to Surrey Police on 101 or by email.
If you do receive a suspicious text message, forward it to 7726. This free-of-charge short code enables your provider to investigate the origin of the text and take action if found to be malicious.
Message Sent By
Sophie Argent (Surrey Police, Communications Coordinator, Surrey Police)