The NHS has warned of a new text message scam which is telling recipients they they need to buy a COVID test.
The National Health Service (NHS) has issued a statement warning people of a new phishing scam which is fraudulently telling targets that they have been exposed to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
The scam tells the recipients to 'order a test' via a phishing link.
In a statement on Twitter, a spokesperson for the NHS said: "We've seen reports of fake NHS text messages about ordering Omicron COVID-19 test kits. We never ask for bank details, so please be aware of suspicious messages."
The scam takes victims to a website which looks very much like the real NHS one, this is when they manage to catch people out.
Recipients are then told they can receive a free test, but have to pay 99p delivery. As the NHS does not distribute free tests anymore, if buying legitimately, it would not be at this price.
The website then also asks for personal information such as an email, address, full name and date of birth. Although this information may not be used by the scammer straight away, they could use it later.
Scammers often use phishing, a type of fraud, to receive personal information.
The scams are often conducted by using fake text messages, emails, calls or letters as bait to lure the victims into clicking onto links. These links can then give away sensitive information including bank details.
Criminals often use information about their victims which they can find online, making the scams more convincing.
⚠️ We've seen reports of fake NHS text messages about ordering Omicron COVID-19 test kits.
— NHS (@NHSuk) June 21, 2022
We never ask for bank details, so please be aware of suspicious messages.
Find out more about scam emails, texts and phone calls ⬇️https://t.co/DV13iNJ6GK
You can report these scams to the National Cyber Security Centre. Reporting a scam is free and only takes a minute. By reporting phishing attempts, you can:
- reduce the amount of scam communications you receive
- make yourself a harder target for scammers
- protect others from cyber crime online
