Police warn Derbyshire residents of PCR test scam as one victim loses £10,000

Residents have received texts which claim that the Government are once again providing free PCR tests. After following the link in the message, people are asked to fill in their personal details, before adding their card details to pay a 99p Royal Mail delivery fee.

Officers are urging people not to click the link in such texts. They said the scam works by taking people to a fake site, designed to look legitimate.

After giving payment details for a small fee, these will then be used to take money – often much larger amounts – from people’s accounts. One Derbyshire man who submitted his card details lost £10,000 to these scammers.

Police have issued some advice to help people stay safe from Covid-19 related scams:

Never click on links in suspicious texts and emails – and don’t enter any personal or financial information.

If you’ve clicked on a link and you think it’s a scam, contact your bank immediately.

READ THIS: Chesterfield drink driver charged after crash flattened town war memorial

Be wary of any out of the blue approaches about the COVID-19 vaccine, tests or passports. If in doubt, check the official NHS site for information or contact the organisation in question directly.

Fraud or cyber crime can be reported online through the online reporting service for Action Fraud. Help and advice can also be accessed through the Action Fraud contact centre by calling 0300 123 2040.