Coronavirus: Criminals advertising fake masks and testing kits to locked-down Britons
In the past fortnight 160,000 suspect emails have been reported to the UK's National Cyber Security Centre.
Thursday 7 May 2020 15:32, UK
Adverts for fake coronavirus masks, testing kits and vaccines are among a new explosion of emails targeting locked-down Britons.
In the past fortnight 160,000 suspect emails have been reported to the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of the government's GCHQ intelligence agency.
In a war on cyber criminals, the agency has taken down more than 300 bogus websites, including those with mock-ups of official sites.
In one email, scam victims are asked to give personal and banking details so they can claim an unspecified government refund.
In another they are told they must provide details that can "be verified against the same set of information" to update their TV licensing system.
Ciaran Martin, chief executive of the NCSC, said: "This really is a phenomenal response from the British public. I would like to thank them for embracing our reporting service as well as the many organisations which have promoted it.
"While cyber criminals continue to prey on people's fears, the number of scams we have removed in such a short timeframe shows what a vital role the public can play in fighting back.
"I would urge people to remain vigilant and to forward suspect emails to us. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."
The flood of reports comes after the agency urged the public last month to alert it to potential scams via [email protected].
In one day alone, 10,000 suspect emails were passed on after the reporting system was featured on a popular financial advice TV show.
The system, developed with the City of London Police, promises to take down dubious websites and offers analysis of new trends in cyber crime.
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Commander Karen Baxter, the force's national fraud lead, said: "While the world is coming together to combat this global health crisis, criminals are intent on exploiting our unease, anxiety and vulnerabilities in these unprecedented times.
"The fact the public have taken the opportunity to fight back and show these criminals how unacceptable this is, is fantastic.
"Fraud is an incredibly under-reported crime. The more the police know about fraud, and fraud attempts, the better chance they have of tracking down those responsible and bringing them to justice."