The National Fraud Reporting Centre has reported a new trend in scams relating to Coronavirus (COVID-19) and disabled people may be particularly at risk.
ActionFraud the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre publishes news on scams taking place throughout the UK. You can also report to ActionFraud if you believe you have been a victim of a scam.
Recent Coronavirus related scams that ActionFraud have reported about can be viewed here and include:
- CTSI issues warning over fake COVID-19 home-testing scams – The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) is warning the public not to open their doors to bogus healthcare workers claiming to be offering ‘home-testing’ for the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
- Criminals target members of the public with NHS scam emails – ActionFRaud has received 41 reports of a scam email purporting to be from HM Government asking for donations to the NHS during the COVID-19 outbreak. This is a fake email and your money will only end up in the hands of a criminal.
The Alzheimer’s Society explain that “for a small group of people, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may increase their susceptibility to the risk of financial abuse due to being home alone, answering telephones and being on the internet more than usual.”
“Fraudsters are exploiting the spread of coronavirus to commit various types of fraud and cyber crime. It’s important to be cautious, as fraudsters are changing their methods all the time.”
The Alzheimer’s Society article 4 Ways to spot a Coronavirus financial scam and how to protect people affected by dementia usefully sets out four easy to follow steps to help you protect yourself and those around you from being scammed. They have also produced a handy guidance document .
The BBC have also published an article detailing several email and internet scams relating to Coronavirus which prey on victim’s worries about the virus to acquire things such as financial information. The article can be viewed in full here: How hackers are preying on fears of Covid-19
Remember to keep up to date with the Disability Sheffield Coronavirus Information and Support page.
