RESIDENTS are being urged to remain vigilant after new reports of fraudsters posing as people from the NHS Test and Trace programme, launched to help control the Covid-19 virus.
The scammers are pretending to be contact tracers in a bid to trick people into parting with their personal information.
People are urged to remember that contact tracers will:
- call from 0300 013 5000
- send text messages from ‘NHS’
- ask people to sign into the NHS test and trace contact-tracing website
- ask for full name and date of birth to confirm identity, and postcode to offer support while self-isolating
- ask about the coronavirus symptoms
- ask people to provide the name, telephone number and/or email address of anyone they have had close contact with in the two days prior to symptoms starting (as with your own details these will be held in strict confidence and will be kept and used only in line with data protection laws)
- ask if anyone they have been in contact with is under 18 or lives outside of England
They will not ask:
- for bank details, or payments
- for details of any other accounts, such as social media set up a password or PIN number over the phoneto call a premium rate number, such as those starting 09 or 087.
