Scams come in all shapes and sizes, from dodgy emails to fake sites. And they keep changing to try and trick you. Stay one step ahead by learning about the latest scams.
Fraudsters are sending emails and texts that offer the COVID-19 vaccine.
Anyone with an email account or mobile phone.
You get an email or text that claims to be from the NHS.
It offers the chance to sign up for the vaccine and wants you to click on a link.
The link goes to a fake NHS page and wants you to give personal and banking details. The page may look real but it’s a copy to try to scam you into giving your details.
Remember, the vaccine is free and the NHS will never ask for a payment or for your banking details.
If you get an email or text like this, don’t click on the link or reply, just delete it.
You can forward a scam email to security@bankofscotland.co.uk
And you can forward a scam text free of charge to 7726.
Find out more about scam messages
This is an email scam that can look like this:
People working remotely from home.
Fraudsters send an email that claims to be from your employer’s IT support department.
They can copy a company’s email address to make a message seem genuine.
The message says you need new VPN configuration details to be able to work from home. It wants you to click on a link to get these details.
The link goes to a fake Microsoft 365 login page. The page may look real but it’s a copy to try to scam your personal or financial details.
If you get an email like this, don’t click on the link or reply. Just delete it.
This is an email scam that can look like this:
Disney+ customers.
Fraudsters send an email that claims there’s been ‘unusual activity’ on your account.
The message says your account has been locked and you need to create a new password. It could also say
that there’s been a problem with your card payment details.
They want you to click an ‘update account now’ button.
This button goes to a fake Disney+ page. The page may look real but it’s a copy to try to scam your personal or financial details.
If you get an email like this, don’t click on the link.
Delete the email. Don’t reply to it.
This is a social media scam that can look like this:
Social media users, especially younger people.
Fraudsters are using social media to offer Bitcoin deals.
They send a message that promises to double your money.
This message has been seen on Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram.
If you get a social media message about Bitcoin, don’t reply.
Before you delete the message, you can report it to the social media platform.
This is an email scam that can look like this:
Anyone with an email account.
Fraudsters send an email that claims to come from the Government Digital Service Team.
The message offers a Council Tax Reduction of nearly £400 for people on a low income or who get benefits.
It wants you to click a link to claim your refund.
This link will go to a fake page to trick you in to giving banking details.
If you get an email like this, don’t click on the link.
Delete the email. Don’t reply to it.
This is an email scam that can look like this:
Netflix customers.
Fraudsters send an email that claims to come from Netflix Support.
The message says your account will be cancelled if you don’t update your personal details within 24 hours.
It wants you to click a link to update them.
This link will go to a fake Netflix page. The page may look real but it’s a copy to try to scam you in to giving login, credit card and billing address details.
If you get an email like this, don’t click on the link.
Delete the email. Don’t reply to it.
This is an email scam that can look like this:
Anyone with an email account.
Fraudsters send an email that claims to come from a government agency, like HMRC.
The message says your grant has been approved. This is pretending to be a scheme to help self-employed people during lockdown.
It wants you to click on a link to fill in your information.
This link will go to a fake page to scam you in to giving your personal and banking details.
If you get an email like this, don’t click on the link.
Delete the email. Don’t reply to it.
This is an email scam that can look like this:
Anyone with an email account.
Fraudsters send an email that claims to come from TV Licensing.
The message says your direct debit has failed and you need to pay to avoid prosecution. It also offers you six months free TV licence.
There’s a link to click to get this offer.
This link will go to a fake page to scam you in to giving your personal and banking details.
If you get an email like this, don’t click on the link.
Delete the email. Don’t reply to it.
This is an email scam that can look like this:
Anyone with an email account.
Fraudsters send an email that claims to come from HMRC.
The message says you can have a tax refund because of the coronavirus outbreak.
It wants you to click on a link to get this refund.
This link goes to a fake page to try to scam you in to giving your personal and banking details.
If you get an email like this, don’t click on the link.
Delete the email. Don’t reply to it.
This is an email scam that can look like this:
Anyone with an email account.
Fraudsters send an email that pretends to come from WHO.
The message has a document attached with advice to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
It wants you to download the document.
But it’s a fake document to try to put a computer virus on your device.
If you get an email like this, don’t download the document.
Delete the email. Don’t reply to it.
Fraudsters are using social media posts to send fake links to viral videos. These will appear as shared posts on popular places like Facebook. This is a bait and switch scam. The link goes to a fake site with a video. But a pop-up will ask you to update your video player with a download. The download will infect your device with a virus to steal personal and banking details. It will also send the fake post to your friends to try and scam them too.
You might see a free voucher offer on Facebook from Morrisons or Tesco. It looks real and says it's for 'Today only'. But it's a scam. The link takes you to a fake website to fill in a survey. Then to get the voucher you have to click on another fake link and share your personal details. There are no vouchers. And your details could be used to try and defraud you at a later date.
You may see fake PayPal social media posts that ask you to enter a prize draw. These will appear as promoted or shared posts on popular places like Facebook. They will ask you to follow a link to log on. This is a scam. The link will lead to a fake site to try and steal your personal details.
People are using the coronavirus outbreak as an opportunity to try new scams by email, call and text.
One email has a PDF document with up-to-date advice on the outbreak. This is likely to be a scam.
The document could contain a computer virus to infect your device. This will then try to steal your personal or payment details.
Find out more about scam messages.
Coronavirus scams even use online marketplaces such as Facebook to sell goods like face masks and hand sanitisers that don’t exist.
Before you buy anything online it’s best to do some research and check buyer reviews to make sure a seller is genuine. And always pay by card - that way you protect your cash.
Find out more about buying from online shops.
There’s been an increase in DVLA scams online.
The most popular scam is by text message. It will tell you that you’re owed a refund and ask you to click on a link. The link will take you to a page which asks for personal or account details.
This is likely to be a scam to try and steal your details.
You may get an email that looks like it comes from Apple. It will tell you that your card has been used to order something. The subject of the email could be either ‘Receipt ID’, ‘Receipt Order’ or ‘Payment Statement’. This is a scam. The email is fake and will try to get you to follow a link or attachment to cancel the order. The scam will try to steal your personal and banking details.
Fraudsters are sending texts which look like they’re from Apple. It will tell you that your account has been locked and to click on a link to unlock it. This is a scam. The link takes you to a fake page to try and steal your personal or banking details.
You could get an email that looks like it's from British Gas. It will say that your latest payment by direct debit didn't go through and your gas supply could be cut off. They want you to click on a link to check and update your payment details. This is a scam. The link is to a fake site to try and get your personal or payment details.
Fraudsters are sending fake emails that include a Google calendar invite. The subject of the event is in Russian and has a link to a video call. This is a scam. The link is there to try and steal your personal or banking details, or to infect your device. Your spam filter should pick this scam up. But to help protect yourself, you can follow these steps:
Fraudsters are using emails that look like they come from PayPal. The most common message will tell you that there’s a ‘problem with your account’. It will include a link to follow to sort the problem out. This is a scam. The link will take you to a fake PayPal site to try and steal your personal or banking details, or to infect your device with a virus.
Another fake PayPal email will tell you that ‘you’re a prize winner’. But to collect your prize you must pay a small handling fee. This is also a scam. PayPal email scams.
You could get an email or a text that looks like it's from Royal Mail. It will say that they couldn't deliver a parcel and will give a tracking number. They want you to click on a link to confirm the parcel or pay a fee. This is a scam. The link is to a fake site to try and get your personal or payment details.
Prudential Regulation Authority
Bank of Scotland does not control the content of third party websites linked to on this page.