Police issue warning over Covid-19 scams

Government Covid scam warning
Government Covid scam warning

Scammers are sending emails to people claiming they've breached Covid-19 restrictions and must pay a fine, police have warned.

Northamptonshire Police have issued a warning after a rise int he number of fraudsters targeting residents int he county.

Chief Inspector Pete Basham warned: “Scammers will try and exploit any opportunity they can find to steal from people and that is certainly the case with coronavirus.

“As well as a number of HMRC related scams we’re also aware of incidents where people have received emails claiming to be from the police, stating they have breached Covid-19 legislation and have been issued with a fine."

He stressed that Fixed Penalty Notices are always handed out in person, by a police officer or Police Community Support Officer. Officers will also happily show you their ID if asked.

Ch Insp Basham said the police or bank will never:

  • Contact you out of the blue and ask for your personal details, including your PIN number, password or account details

  • Ask you to withdraw cash and give to someone for safekeeping

  • Send someone to your home to collect cash, bank cards, account details or PIN numbers

Other Covid-19 related scams include emails claiming to be from the HMRC encouraging people to click on a link to claim a Government grant as well as tax reduction and a job retention scheme emails which ask you to provide personal information.

If you feel you've been a victim of Fraud

If you think you’ve fallen for a scam, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via actionfraud.police.uk

You can report suspicious texts by forwarding the original message to 7726, which spells SPAM on your keypad. You can report suspicious emails by forwarding the original message to report@phishing.gov.uk. An automated system will scan the email and if malicious links are found, the associated website will be taken