The NHS has issued a warning about a new Covid-19-related scam text message that is circulating. The message, which purports to be from the NHS, claims that the recipient is eligible for a free home test kit. However, the organization does not currently offer home test kits for Covid-19. If you receive this message, do not click on any links or provide any personal information.
Delete it immediately. Scammers running this phishing operation are too creative and if you are not careful enough, they might leave a big dent on your finances. Even the authorities are aware of the hustle taking place and they are doing their best to warn the public.
Thankfully, the efforts appear to have prevented a lot of damage and user awareness is increasing slowly. To know how this scam operates and why you need to stay away from them, read this detailed blog post till the end. If you need help with retrieving the funds, get in touch with us.
NHS Tweet and Update
The National Health Service of the United Kingdom has issued a public alert on a spate of bogus SMS text messages informing customers that they have been exposed to the COVID-19 Omicron strain.
The NHS said in a tweet that it had received reports of SMS purporting to be from the organization urging recipients to purchase a testing kit if they had been in touch with a person diagnosed with COVID-19.
Obviously, the narratives used by scammers are misleading. The crooks want to create chaos and force the people to take action. If the user makes the mistake of believing the peddled story, then he or she will be redirected to a phishing page that will capture all of their sensitive information.
One of the main reasons behind this scam’s success is the kind of narrative they employed which was around Covid. Naturally, people were quick to react and all the impulsive ones most likely fell for the trap.
Plot Explained
Obviously, con artists do not want you to visit nhs.uk, the official NHS website.
Instead, the URL of the fraudsters leads to a fake NHS page that seems to be authentic.
It significantly resembles the official NHS website to an inexperienced eye. Indeed, if you’re using a smartphone, you may not realize that you’re not accessing nhs.uk.
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This fraudulent website offers test kits for sale with “just £0.99 postage.”
In view of the fact that the NHS no longer provides free COVID-19 test kits, the fact that all that is required to get a free test is to pay 99 cents in mail should raise red flags for victims. If you’ve reached this point in the hoax, you may have forgotten that information in your desire to get tested for the Omicron variant.
Obviously, the website wants more than just your money. Additionally, your entire name, address, date of birth, and other personal details are requested. By divulging your personal information, you unwittingly aid fraudsters in perpetrating other scams against you. A con artist might use this information against you in the future to seem more believable.
How to stay safe from NHS Covid Scam Text Message
If you have received the NHS Covid Scam Text Message, then following things are crucial steps that you need to follow. Also, don’t forget to alert the relevant authorities immediately.
- Freeze your credit cards and related bank accounts.
- Change your passwords and turn on 2 FA on all platforms.
- Never click on cloaked links.
- Look out for grammatical errors and keep an open mind.
- Cut the interaction if you spot a sense of urgency being planted by the other party.
- Never reveal your personal information for any reason.
NHS Covid Scam Text Message Bottom Line
NHS Covid Scam Text Message and similar phishing scams are deadly. However, the threat can be eliminated by educating the people and that is what we are trying to do via this post.
So, help us reach more people by sharing this post and if you have any specific query about this hustle, leave a comment below and we will get back to you soon.
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