West Yorkshire Police warn of 'extremely convincing' NHS Covid vaccine text scam

West Yorkshire Police have issued a warning about an "extremely convincing" scam which pretends to offer victims the chance to book a Covid vaccination
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The force's fraud team said they had been made aware of a "dangerous" new scam circulating by text, which pretends to be from the NHS and offers a chance to book an appointment to receive the Covid-19 vaccination.

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The text includes a link to an "extremely convincing" fake NHS website, which then requests a selection of personal details including name, address, date of birth and payment details.

West Yorkshire Police have issued a warning about an "extremely convincing" scam which pretends to offer victims the chance to book a Covid-19 vaccination. Stock image.West Yorkshire Police have issued a warning about an "extremely convincing" scam which pretends to offer victims the chance to book a Covid-19 vaccination. Stock image.
West Yorkshire Police have issued a warning about an "extremely convincing" scam which pretends to offer victims the chance to book a Covid-19 vaccination. Stock image.

Sharing details of the scam, the West Yorkshire Police Economic Crime Unit said: "With the recent approval of multiple vaccines in the UK, these types of scam attempts are likely to continue as fraudsters look to take advantage of the rollout to so many people.

"Cold calls regarding the vaccine are also beginning to take place - we've already had reports of scammers asking people to pay for it over the phone. If you receive one of these calls, hang up."

According to the NHS, people will need to be registered with a GP surgery to receive the vaccine.

People will be contacted by the NHS when it is their time to be vaccinated, but will not be required to provide any payment details.