Police warning warn Hucknall and Bulwell folk to be vigilant over scam emails and text messages

A campaign raising awareness of "phishing" scams will be supported by Nottinghamshire Police.
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Phishing is when cyber criminals attempt to trick users into doing 'the wrong thing', such as clicking a bad link that will download malware, or direct them to a dodgy website.

Whether it’s an email asking you to “verify” your bank account details, or a text message claiming you’ve been in close contact with someone that’s got COVID-19, the goal is usually the same - to trick you into revealing personal and financial information.

Nottinghamshire Police is supporting a national campaign led by Action Fraud to help raise awareness of the deceptive tactic.

Nottinghamshire Police is supporting a national campaign led by Action Fraud to help raise awareness of "phishing" scamsNottinghamshire Police is supporting a national campaign led by Action Fraud to help raise awareness of "phishing" scams
Nottinghamshire Police is supporting a national campaign led by Action Fraud to help raise awareness of "phishing" scams

PC Nick Stenner, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Cyber Protect team, said: “We are very happy to be supporting this important campaign.

“Phishing scams continue to pose a significant threat for both individuals and businesses, so it is vital everyone is vigilant of unexpected messages or calls that ask for your personal or financial information.

“If you receive a call or message that you think might be a scam, don’t respond to it. Instead, contact the organisation directly using contact information from the company’s official website, and not the links or numbers provided in the message itself.

“Remember, your bank, or any other official source, will never ask you to supply personal information via email or text message.”

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As of May 31, the public has made more than 12 million reports to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service, with the removal of more than 83,000 scams and 153,000 malicious websites.

If you think an email could be a scam, you can report it by forwarding the email to [email protected].

Mobile network providers also offer a service that allows customers to report suspicious text messages, by forwarding them to the number 7726.

The service is free of charge and enables providers to takedown malicious websites and block malicious texts from being sent across their network.

If you’ve lost money or provided personal information as a result of a phishing scam, notify your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.