PSNI warn against new COVID-19 phishing text message

A stark warning has been issued by the PSNI about a new phishing text message scam.
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The message is now circulating telling people that they are ‘eligible’ for the Covid 19 vaccination.

The scam message reads “we have identified that you are eligible to apply for your vaccine” and links to a convincing, but fake, NHS page which then asks for bank details.

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They warn that if you receive a text or email that asks you to click on a link or for you to provide information, such as your name, credit card or bank details, it’s a likely to be a scam.

Scams can come in many forms and this one is just the latest attempt by fraudsters to exploit the pandemic for financial gain.

Protect yourself by following this advice:

* Do not open attachments or click on links in emails or texts from numbers you don’t know.

* Never give out your personal information, banking details or passwords in response to an email, text or phone call without verifying that the caller is who they say they are.

* Block any numbers you find suspicious.

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* Always go to a website directly, by typing out the address yourself, when logging into an account. Do not click on links.

* Keep an eye out for spelling mistakes in messages and emails

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