COVID-19 FRAUD WATCH

One lesson to be learned during the COVID-19 pandemic is during a time of fear, confusion and uncertainty, fraudsters and cybercriminals show no mercy.

With so many of us now operating outside our normal financial processes, it can make it difficult to have two sets of eyes on transactions, a problem exacerbated by home working and fraudsters will exploit this. 

These extraordinary circumstances are affecting so many of us and even here within MFF and our wider membership. We remain active posting news and topical items to our Twitter feed @MFF_Forum and if you are not already a follower we encourage you to tag along.

In the coming weeks we will share more trends and tips which can be distributed where relevant within your own organisations and the wider community, in particular if you can increase the awareness with some of its most vulnerable members.

It is the community spirit and kindness which will prevail and get us through these tough times.

We wish you all to keep safe and to use the same determination you have in your professional roles to look after yourself and your families.

NHS Test and Trace

how you can verify you are actually being contacted by NHS Test and Trace service?

Police officers have warned about people being targeted by scammers pretending to be from the new NHS Test and Trace service.

The service means people across England with coronavirus will now have their contacts traced in a bid to control the spread of Covid-19 and help ease lockdown restrictions.

If NHS Test and Trace calls you by phone, the service will be using a single phone number 0300 0135 000. The only website the service will ask you to visit is https://contact-tracing.phe.gov.uk."

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
• 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
• Ask you to purchase a product
• Ask you to download any software to your device or ask you to hand over control of your PC, smartphone or tablet
• Ask you to access any website that does not belong to the Government or NHS

If you think you have been subjected to, or a victim of, a scam or attempted fraud using Track and Trace or any other fraud please call 101 or contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger or risk of harm dial 999 now.

Suspicious email reporting service

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has launched a suspicious email reporting service in partnership with the City of London Police.

You can send your suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and the NCSC’s automated programme will immediately test the validity of the site. Any sites found to be phishing scams will be removed immediately.

The service will also support the police by providing live time analysis of reports and identifying new patterns in online offending- helping them stop even more offenders in their tracks.

National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)

The government's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have just launched their ‘Cyber-aware’ public campaign. The aim of this campaign is to bring together useful existing guidance regarding your safety whilst online.  In recognition of the increased use of technology to purchase goods and services and keep in touch with family and friends it offers guidance to help you in your personal life too, covering concerns such as scam emails, safe use of video conferencing apps (Facebook, house party, WhatsApp) and online shopping. Guidance can be found here  https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware