Wrexham Trading Standards issues warning over scam covid-19 vaccine email

Wrexham Trading Standards has issued a warning after reports of an email scam claiming to offer covid-19 vaccines.

The email, which falsely states that it is from the NHS, asks the recipient to click a look to book an appointment.

The email begins “The NHS is performing selections for coronavirus vaccination on the basis of family genetics and medical history. You have been selected to receive a coronavirus vaccination.”

You will then see a list of bullet points titled ‘What you will need to do’, followed by some information on ‘Who can use this service’.

Further down the email, there are two clickable links; ‘NHS – Accept Invitation’ or ‘NHS – Reject Invitation’.

Please be aware that this is a scam and don’t click on either of these links.

Underneath the links, the email tries to pressure you, saying “you are required to reply to this invitation within 12 hours of this notification.”

Wrexham Trading Standards say that unlike other similar recent scams, this one doesn’t appear to ask for payment details in the initial email, although it is suspected the reasons for the links are to gain personal information or payment details at a later stage.

Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Safety, said: “The NHS will never ask you for payment information as Covid-19 vaccines are completely free of charge.

“There is a worry around this particular scam in that people may be duped into thinking it’s a legitimate email, particularly because you aren’t asked to give over any payment details in the first instance.

“If you’re not sure, you can always forward any suspicious emails to [email protected] to have them checked out. Unfortunately, we are seeing an increasing number of fraudulent texts and emails attempting to use the pandemic as an opportunity to steal your personal information.

“Always take the time you need to identify whether something could be a scam first.”

Remember, the NHS will never ask for:

• Your bank account or card details
• Your pin or banking password
• Copies of personal documents to prove your identity such as your passport, driving licence, bills or pay slips

The following advice has also been issued on being scam aware:

STOP – Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.

CHALLENGE – Could it be fake? It’s OK to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.

PROTECT – Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) created the Suspicious Email Reporting Service which makes it easy for people to forward suspicious emails to them.

The NCSC will then analyse the suspect email and any websites it links to.

If you have received an email which you’re not quite sure about, you can forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service by emailing [email protected]

If you think you may have been the victim of fraud or cyber-crime, you should report this to Action Fraud via their website or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Consumer advice can be obtained from the Citizens Advice Consumer Service. They can be contacted on 0808 223 1144 (Welsh) or 0808 223 1133 (English).

For information about Covid-19 vaccinations, please visit the Public Health Wales website.