Vulnerable Britons in shielding due to the coronavirus pandemic are being targeted by scammers. Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman told the daily coronavirus briefing that an urgent investigation is underway to combat the vile scam. The Scottish Government is aware of two incidents targeting the text message service used by people in the shielding category.
Ms Freeman said a message was sent by someone pretending to be from the texting service asking for people’s personal information.
She said this is being investigated as a matter of urgency.
The Health Secretary added: “But I want to take the opportunity today to remind everyone that the Scottish Government will never send a text message asking for sensitive personal information or banking details.
“If you have signed up to the shielding text message service and receive a text asking for financial information or passwords it is almost certainly a scam.”
JUST IN: Nasty WhatsApp scam returns that will block your account
She continued: “Anyone who receives a suspicious text or call of this kind can report it to Advice Direct Scotland.
“If you are unfortunate enough to have been a victim of a scam you should contact the police by calling 101.
“Sadly instances like this are not unexpected.
“There will always be a small number people that seek to exploit any situation they can to defraud others.”
Earlier this month, security experts issued a warning about a new coronavirus scam e-mail which tries to trick victims into downloading an alleged COVID-19 test result.
However, instead of getting vital medical data, the victims install a dangerous strain of malware.
This coronavirus scam begins with a victim being sent an e-mail that allegedly is a ‘notification’ on a COVID-19 test result.
The e-mail goes onto say that the recipient should get a call from the doctor’s office to schedule an appointment to discuss the test results.
Phishing experts claim that the spike in coronavirus cases and subsequent increased testing has led to these type of phishing scams being more threatening.
