Wiltshire residents urged to remain vigilant of vaccine scam text
The county's police force are teaching us how to spot the signs of a fake message
Last updated 12th Mar 2021
People living in Wiltshire are being urged to remain vigilant of a NHS vaccine scam going around on text.
On Tuesday (9th March), the NHS began a trial of texting people to invite them to book their Covid-19 injections.
The force are now reminding people that vaccines are free of charge, and any legitimate text from the NHS will not asking for bank account details.
The genuine messages will include a web link to reserve an appointment at one of the large scale centres.
It will also be sent using the Government's secure Notify service and will show as being sent from 'NHSvaccine'.
Reminders will then be sent 2-3 weeks after the original alert to encourage people to get their vaccine if they have not taken up the offer.
Almost 400,000 people aged 55 and over and 40,000 unpaid carers will be the first to get a text alert inviting them to book a slot.
Anyone who has already been vaccinated should not receive a text.
Wiltshire Police Detective Sergeant, Sean Tregunna said:
"Coinciding with the roll-out of vaccination invites via text message, we're pre-empting a rise in text message scams, whereby fraudsters try to collect personal details from people, encourage them to ring premium rate numbers or enter their bank details. The NHS will never ask you for your bank account or card details, your PIN or banking password.
Of course some people might be worried about scams which have been widely publicised, but if the message comes from 'NHSvaccine' and links to the NHS.uk website you can be sure that it's a legitimate invite.
It's also worth remembering that the NHS will also never arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine or ask you to prove your identity by sending copies of personal documents such as your passport, driving licence, bills or pay slips."
Anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of fraud can report it to Action Fraud via their website or by calling 0300 123 2040.