Which? responds to vaccine passport scam warning
Adam French, Which? Consumer Rights Expert, said:
“Throughout the pandemic, fraudsters have used every change in Covid rules and restrictions as an opportunity to create new scams to part people from their hard-earned cash.
“The vaccine passport is no exception – with scammers using NHS branding and the digital vaccine passport to attempt to steal consumer’s personal information.
“Consumers should be on high alert for scams and if in any doubt, should verify the email directly with the company before giving any personal information.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
You can report any attempt to steal your money or personal information to Action Fraud.
You can also report the scam email to the internet service provider (ISP) that was used to send you the email. There will usually be a ‘report’ button or link in your inbox.
If you’ve received a fake email that pretends to have been sent by a genuine company, it’s worth alerting the company the scammers have tried to mimic. The company can then warn its customers about the scam and take steps to prevent scammers from targeting them in the future.
If you’ve entered any bank details, contact your bank to ensure the scammer cannot take any more money from your account and ask to be reimbursed.
Many banks have promised to reimburse blameless victims of this kind of fraud by signing up to the voluntary authorised payments code. However, banks might challenge customers if they think the customer didn’t take precautions.
If consumers don’t have any luck getting their money back from their bank, the last resort would be to complain to the Financial Ombudsman.
Consumers can also sign up to Which?’s free scam alert service to keep themselves, friends and family up to speed with the latest tactics used by fraudsters: https://campaigns.which.co.uk/
Link to Which? research on fake delivery texts during the pandemic: https://press.which.co.uk/
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