New Covid vaccine phone scam as fraudsters use jab rollout to target elderly and vulnerable
A NEW Covid vaccine phone scam is targeting vulnerable pensioners.
Callous con artists prey on vulnerable OAPs by calling them with an automated voice.
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Victims are conned into thinking they’ve been selected to receive the coronavirus jab.
Unsuspecting OAPS are then told to press a number to arrange a booking.
Criminals charge victims’ phone company and raid money from OAPs’ accounts.
It comes after Britain this week became the first country in the world to roll out the Pfizer/ BionTech jab.
VACCINE SCAMMERS
Details of the new scam have emerged on the Wirral, Merseyside with officials warning people to beware.
Elderly people with 0151 645 numbers were being targeted, with scammers calling them from the number 075374 00307.
A council Facebook post said: “This a scam. Pressing the number will allow them to charge your phone company and take a sum of money from your account.
“Please warn elderly vulnerable residents to be on their guard to avoid being scammed.
“The UK is the first country in the world to start administering the Pfizer vaccine after regulators approved it last week.”
‘EMERGING THREAT’
On Tuesday, Margaret Keenan, 90, became the first Brit to be given the life-saving jab in Coventry
It come after police forces expressed fears over the “emerging threat” of vaccine frauds.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) warned Brits to beware as it investigates reports of fraudsters trying to cash in on the vaccine boom.
Last month, Graeme Biggar, the director general of the NCA’s National Economic Crime Centre, said: “The new emerging threat will be around vaccine fraud.
“We haven’t seen much of that yet, but we absolutely expect when vaccines begin to roll out that there will be people offering fake vaccines.
“We are trying to get ahead of that trend now.”
Fake PPE and Covid-19 test kits were also being peddled, with scammers also trying to con the government’s furlough scheme and relief for businesses.
There has also been a surge in online phishing scams as the vaccine is rolled out.
Emails mentioning vaccine are sent containing malware files tha steal victims’ data and take over accounts.
Up to four million more doses of the vaccine are expected by the end of the month.
Ray Walsh, digital privacy expert at ProPrivacy, said: “Reports of scam phone calls targeting elderly citizens waiting for a Covid-19 vaccine are extremely concerning.
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“Out of all the scams we see targeting the elderly and vulnerable, this is by far one of the cruellest.
“Those at risk and urgently waiting for a coronavirus vaccine are urged to remember they will not receive calls from the NHS asking them to press a number on their keypad to make an appointment.
“Unfortunately, anyone who receives a call that asks them to press a key to be forwarded to make an appointment for a vaccine will likely instead receive a large charge on their phone bill.”