Beware of holiday email scam
This is a message sent via Neighbourhood Alert. This information has been sent on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council Trading Standards
Message sent by
David Brocklebank (Nottinghamshire County Council, Trading Standards Officer, Nottinghamshire)
At this time of year many of us are going away on holiday and scammers may try to use this to their advantage.
We have been informed of residents in Nottinghamshire that have had fake emails sent from their email account to everyone in their contacts list. We have also had reports of residents receiving these emails. The most recent example suggests the person has been mugged while on holiday in the Philippines. The email asks for the recipient to loan them some cash so they can get back home.
This is a regularly used scam at this time of year, attempting to trick people into thinking that their friend has been mugged while abroad and desperately needs financial assistance. When your friends and family are on holiday these requests may seem quite real.
Please don’t fall victim to these fake emails. Never send money to someone who asks for it in an email like the one mentioned above.
If you think your account has been hacked, it’s important that you change your password to something very secure and check that your computer does not have any spyware by keeping your anti-virus software up to date. Don’t write down your passwords and be extra careful when using public computers.
To report fraud or get advice, you can call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or visit http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/