A fake NHS text has been circulating, informing people they’re eligible to apply for the COVID-19 vaccine. But the text is not from the NHS and is in fact a convincing looking attempt by scammers to swipe your personal information. It states: “NHS: We have identified that your are eligible to apply for your vaccine. For more information and to apply, follow here: uk-application-form.com”. The URL (uk-application-form.com) takes you to an extremely convincing fake NHS website, in which fraudsters are attempting to scam individuals into handing over their personal/ financial information. The NHS will never ask for your banking information as you do not need to pay for the vaccine. Fraudsters prey on the fears of coronavirus and sending ‘phishing’ text messages that try and trick users into clicking on a bad link. Genuine text messages from the UK Government will only come from www.gov.uk.You will only ever be directed to GOV.UK/ coronavirus. These are the top text scams to look out for: Fake URL links pretending to link to the GOV.UK website to claim supposed COVID-19 related payment Lockdown fines suggesting you have breached lockdown Offers of health supplements that will prevent you from being infected Financial support offers that appear to be from your bank Fake Covid vaccine invitations How can you verify the message? Challenge - Could it be fake? It’s okay to reject, refuse or ignore any requests that don’t feel right. Check GOV.UK to ensure its genuine. Be wary of text messages that try to get you to send money, or important personal information such as bank details or passwords. Take a moment to stop and think before parting with information to keep you safe or your money. Use official government websites and refer to ‘Contact Us’ sections of websites to access information and services. What step-by-step actions can you take? Don’t respond Report the SMS Scam to Action Fraud Forward the message to 7726 (‘SPAM’ on a keypad) If you have already followed the link and entered your credit card/ bank details, contact your bank immediately. Have you received this fake NHS vaccine text or any other type of scam relating to the vaccine? Let us know in the comments. Be sure to tell family and friends, especially if they are older or vulnerable, to be wary of the scam to help prevent anyone from falling victim.