A clever new type of phishing email that includes the recipient’s home address and personal details has been received by people across the borough, Gedling Eye has learned.
A member of Gedling Eye’s editorial team was among those who received the scam email which claims they owe thousands of pounds to a legitimate UK firm.
The real firms mentioned in the emails have been inundated with calls from concerned members of the public – anxious to find out why they owe debt to a firm they have never dealt with.
The scam email contains a link which could infect your computer with Cryptolocker or Maktub ransomware.
This week a member of our team received one of the emails which claimed they owed £1,005 to a small heating firm in South Wales.
The email caused concern because it included personal details – including their their home address.
They had never heard of or dealt with the firm previously.
The email also included a link to see a copy of the invoice and this linked to malware.
We searched Google for more details about the firm mentioned within the email and then contacted them by phone.
A spokesperson for the firm, which asked not to be named in our story, and are not responsible in any way for the email, confirmed they had received many calls already that day from concerned members of the public.
He said: “We’ve received a ton of calls already today about this. It’s a scam. Please ignore it. We haven’t sent this [email] out and you don’t owe us any money.”
A spokesman for Action Fraud said: “This spear phishing campaign could constantly evolve, so look out for company variations and remember that is easy for fraudsters to adapt information. To prevent your personal information ending up in the hands of fraudsters; follow our advice on how to protect it. “
To report a fraud and receive a police crime reference number, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use their online fraud reporting tool
