Covid test after contact scam - Beware!

[daffy]

SWMBO just had a text message telling her she had been in contact with someone with Omicron, with a link to a web address to order a test kit.

As her young grand-daughter (9) is currently isolating with a Covid infection she was rather expecting a text from her son to say he or another member of his household had now got Covid too.
Sadly therefore she  looked at the message which was from this number:

+44 7519 875181.   (which is subsequently proved bogus of course).

A short 'you have been in close contact....' with an unnamed person, followed by a link to a .com addy "swab-testing-kit" was all the message contained. SWMBO opened this and was presented with a very convincing looking (at first and second sight) NHS webpage.

At this point she mentioned it to me - all the hallmarks of a scam of course, so message deleted pronto, webpage closed, full cleanout of history, cookies and web data (on an iPhone), and turned off for luck.

Here's hoping the scam was relying on a click on any of the links in the webpage itself, but I've warned her to keep a close eye on any future oddities of any type of text or email.

She is usually on the ball with these things, particularly those (all those!) from phone numbers she doesn't recognise, but circumstances put her guard down. What alerted me (and her as the penny soon dropped) is that she hasn't t been anywhere or in contact with anyone except me (poor woman) for the last two weeks due to her own health issues

Anyway, just another warning that these Covid scam things are out there - they are many and varied, as with all scams.

Stay safe boys and girls.

[guest311]

thank you for the heads up.

there are some real scum out there who will use any excuse to try to scam people.

further comments would, as those who know me, result in me packing my bag for another stay on the naughty step, so nuff said.

hopefully your intervention has pre-empted any further problems.

[Southerngooner]

Any message that comes from a mobile number gets immediately dumped this end. If it's really important they will contact me again.

Sad to see so many scammers out there preying on people, made easier by global communications.

Dave