Coronavirus in Scotland: Trading Standards Scotland issues warning following almost 60 reports of vaccine scam emails and texts
Trading Standards Scotland have issued a warning to Scots over fake emails and texts doing the rounds asking people to pay for Covid-19 vaccination.
The government service has urged members of the public to remember that the vaccine is free and the NHS will never ask for bank details or any payment.
Trading Standards Scotland, which aims to protect consumers from illegal trading practices, issued the warning on their social media account on Friday to ensure the public were aware of vaccine scams circulating across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Action Fraud reported that the almost 60 scams consisted of messages which ask the recipient to click on a link leading to an online form which looks similar to the real NHS website, where they are asked for personal and financial details.
A Trading Standards Scotland spokesperson said: “Please make sure that family and friends are aware of these scams.
"The Covid-19 vaccination is free.
"The NHS will never ask for your bank details or for a payment and they will not ask you to prove your identity by sending copies of personal documents such as passports.
"They will never arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine.
"If you are offered the vaccine at a price, it could be fake, stolen or non-existent.”
NHS Scotland advises the public that local health boards will be in touch to arrange vaccination appointments and if anyone is unsure about a message they have received in relation to covid-19, they can call the national helpline on 0800 030 8013.
Trading Standards Scotland are also urging the public to check official sources such as the Scottish Government who publish up-to-date guidance and information on the vaccination programme as well as the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) who regularly update their guidance and information covering the pandemic, including information about vaccines and vaccine safety.
Netflix scams, Fake Comparison Site and Brexit scams are also being highlighted by the Trading Standards as scams to be aware of as an increase in scams continues in lockdown.
Since the launch of the National Cyber Security Centre's Suspicious Email Reporting Service in April, over 4.9 million suspicious emails have been reported across the Uk.
They have removed almost 48,976 individual phishing URLs linked to 26,343 sites.