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General => The Stay Safe Board => Topic started by: BushInn1746 on Thursday 26 March 20 09:17 GMT (UK)

Title: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: BushInn1746 on Thursday 26 March 20 09:17 GMT (UK)
Warning on a BBC (Midlands) website

Scam

"A text message telling you that you can claim £458 of coronavirus aid is a scam.

Birmingham City Counil has condemned what it called ‘a blitz’ of scams surrounding the virus, with criminals using the internet, telephones and doorstep calls to operate scams."

This scam is even using the Gov.uk logo.

"Birmingham’s Trading Standards team are urging residents to be aware of a number of Coronavirus-linked scams which are targeting vulnerable people across the UK."
https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/news/article/568/trading_standards_advise_residents_to_be_scam_aware

Take care.
Title: Re: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: suey on Thursday 26 March 20 09:21 GMT (UK)

Dear Lord there’s always someone somewhere  >:( >:(
Title: Re: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: Musicman on Thursday 26 March 20 16:28 GMT (UK)
Callous fraudsters are spoofing official government phone numbers and impersonating the taxman in a bid to coax worried Britons into handing over money or their bank details.
One screenshot posted on social media platform Twitter by Sky News political reporter Tamara Cohen, showed scammers had managed to hijack the thread of a genuine official UK Government coronavirus alert service, which sent out a text message earlier in the week.
The message - appearing to be from the genuine number - told the recipient that  they needed to pay a £35 fine, after being 'recorded as leaving their home on three occasions'.
There are then two links that the recipient could open. These are likely to go through to dodgy websites looking to steal personal information or install malware. 
Given the current climate, many may be panicked by the message and click the link without processing the contents properly.

Full article: http://www.rootschat.com/links/01p8b/
Title: Re: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: isk on Thursday 26 March 20 18:09 GMT (UK)
Hi  E-mail arrived asking that we set up a Direct Debit to pay for our TV Licence, OH over 75.  He called the TV Licencing Board and was told it was a scam - please be careful.  All stay at home and keep safe and well.  isk
Title: Re: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: BushInn1746 on Thursday 26 March 20 18:32 GMT (UK)
Take Great Care - Numerous scams going on everywhere
https://www.itv.com/news/central/2020-03-26/advice-for-avoiding-coronavirus-scams/

"A man has been jailed for 31 weeks after stealing an A&E receptionist's handbag at the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton during the coronavirus pandemic" ...
https://www.itv.com/news/central/

Take care All
Title: Re: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: BillyF on Thursday 26 March 20 19:26 GMT (UK)
Only 31 weeks !!!!
Title: Re: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: ms_canuck on Thursday 26 March 20 20:20 GMT (UK)
Our Prime Minister warned Canadians this morning about a text which is already making the rounds telling people that they are entitled to $1,375 (CAD) from the BRAND NEW Canadian Emergency Relief Benefit (CERB)!  The website has barely gone online and already these scumbags are trying to cash in. Of course, like most of these, they are hoping to get enough personal details to clean out your bank account!

Ms_C
Title: Re: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: Llwyd on Thursday 26 March 20 20:21 GMT (UK)
These people really are scum. They have no qualms, morals or any sense of humanity and there are no depths to which they won't descend.
 :)
Title: Re: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: Maiden Stone on Thursday 26 March 20 22:59 GMT (UK)
Wash your hands of coronavirus scams
www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk
Title: Re: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: Skoosh on Thursday 28 May 20 09:25 BST (UK)
Phone call yesterday from a caller who knew my name & sounded like Madhur Jaffray, very erudite & from some government agency apparently? enquiring as to how I was surviving the lockdown. Runs through her list like the district nurse, touching all the bases. "Darling you should take cod liver oil & a supplement. I must say you sound like a very vigorous pensioner!"
  She could arrange anything apparently & as I already took the cod-liver oil, a supplement was advisable. She just happened to have a batch of this in the office, based on wild-rasberries, so completely natural & at a one-off, half price to auld buggers of £20 which she might knock down even further. No pressure at all & how is my prostate? The supplement is called "Rasbill" which was declined & told her I would Google it.
 Then a TV License scam email, so a busy day!  ;D

Skoosh.
Title: Re: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: BillyF on Thursday 28 May 20 10:51 BST (UK)
The latest here is an email (several times) from Netflix asking me to update my bank details. We`ve never had Netflix or even inquired about it, we just like having free tv !!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: Ray T on Thursday 28 May 20 13:19 BST (UK)
The biggest scam, which most people have already fallen for is to believe daft boris and his cronies that ordinary people should all stay at home.

That said, the next scam is predicted to be with this bunch of, Serco run, so called contact tracers - "Hello Mr/Mrs Mug, you have been in contact with someone who has Koronaberg virus. Please give me your email address, so I can send you a form to fill in.......". [Then I'll have your email address etc. etc. to bombard you with spam and links to my very nice malware!]
Title: Re: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: Skoosh on Thursday 28 May 20 13:52 BST (UK)
Serco of course has Rupert Soames for a CEO, Churchill's grandson!

Skoosh.
Title: Re: Beware of Coronavirus Scams
Post by: mumjo on Thursday 28 May 20 14:01 BST (UK)
And Serco took over some of our local county council services and made a right hash of it. School workers and carers not getting paid. They blamed their software. What’s to say anything has changed.