Stay Alert - from Covid scammers
The bogus caller tells the person who answers the phone they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19, therefore they needed to self-isolate for 7 days and take a Covid-19 test. (Alarm bell number one police say as isolation is 14 days).
The caller then ask for the person’s address and will then make an attempt to get payment card details for a one off fee of £500. (Second alarm bell, genuine Track and Trace callers will not ask for payment).
It is important to note:
Contact tracers will never:
• ask you to dial a premium rate number to speak to us (for example, those starting 09 or 087)
• ask you to make any form of payment or purchase a product or any kind
• ask for any details about your bank account
• ask for your social media identities or login details, or those of your contacts
• ask you for any passwords or PINs, or ask you to set up any passwords or PINs over the phone
• disclose any of your personal or medical information to your contacts
• provide medical advice on the treatment of any potential coronavirus symptoms
• ask you to download any software to your PC or ask you to hand over control of your PC, smartphone or tablet to anyone else
• ask you to access any website that does not belong to the government or NHS
Guidance on NHS Track and Trace can be found here:
