Police and officials are continuing to urgently remind the public to remain vigilant in the wake of an ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine text message scam.
The organisation reported that it has received evidence of fraudulent messages being sent to the public informing them that a dose of the new COVID-19 vaccine is available to them.
People are being sent a text message claiming to be from the NHS which informs the recipient that: “We have identified that you are eligible to apply for your vaccine.” and the message ends with a link to a bogus website mocked up to look like a legitimate NHS platform.
The website requests personal details, including name and address, and most-concerningly asks for banking details, which are supposedly for verification.
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Remember, the vaccine is only available on the @NHSuk and is free of charge.
If you receive an email, text message or phone call purporting to be from the NHS and you are asked to provide financial details, or pay for the vaccine, this is a scam #coronavirusfraudspic.twitter.com/7YnDXGd2Zi
The CTSI has confirmed that this is the latest in a series of scams themed around the pandemic in circulation since last March.
With the UK vaccine rollout now underway, scammers have modified their hacking attempts to consider this new development, with such phoney messages first being reported at the end of December by people living on the Western Isles of Scotland, and leading the NHS on the Isles to inform the public that: “Health Boards will never ask for any details about your bank account.”
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This scam is by no means limited to the region though, and people throughout the UK are warned that they may receive similar messages.
CTSI / AP
Speaking on the rise of the scam, Katherine Hart – Lead Officer at CTSI – said: “I have been tracking and warning the public about COVID-19-related scams since the beginning of the pandemic, and at every stage of response, unscrupulous individuals have modified their campaigns to defraud the public.
“The vaccine brings great hope for an end to the pandemic and lockdowns, but some only wish to create even further misery by defrauding others.
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“The NHS will never ask you for banking details, passwords, or PIN numbers and these should serve as instant red flags.
“Do not provide any information to the scammers, but please also report suspicious messages to Action Fraud, or if in Scotland, Police Scotland, as this provides intelligence and assists authorities in combating scams.”
Greater Manchester Police has also issued a warning to local residents regarding the issue on social media this week, confirming that: “Fake NHS text has been circulating telling people that they’re eligible to apply for the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Do not click on links in unknown texts [and] never give out your personal details.”
#ScamAlert | A fake NHS text has been circulating telling people that they're eligible to apply for the COVID-19 vaccine. ❌ Do not click on links in unknown texts ❌ Never give out your personal details Report to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or https://t.co/2hu3W1PrwJpic.twitter.com/AmJ8LE2Sb8
Action Fraud – the UK’s national reporting service for fraud and financially motivated cyber crime – has also confirmed this week that it is continuing to receive “a high volume of reports about fake coronavirus vaccination emails and texts”.
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A total of 1,166 vaccine-related scam emails were reported over 24 hours.
⚠️ We continue to receive a high volume of reports about fake coronavirus vaccination emails and texts.
You can report suspicious messages to Action Fraud here, or call – 0300 123 2040.
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Michael Carrick brands Lisandro Martinez’s red card as ‘one of the worst’ decisions he’s ever seen
Danny Jones
Michael Carrick has dubbed the red card shown to Lisando Martinez on Monday night “one of the worst I’ve seen”.
In case you missed it, Martinez’s sending off proved to be the decisive moment in Manchester United’s sour defeat to old rivals Leeds.
Despite pulling one back through another Bruno Fernandes assist and another Casemiro header from a set-piece, Man United went on to lose 2-1 in what was Leeds’ first win at Old Trafford since 1981.
A night to remember for the Whites and one that Reds, equally and ironically, won’t soon forget either, with the Argentinian being dismissed for what the referees deemed ‘violent conduct’. For those who haven’t seen it, here’s the incident in question:
While there is a noticeable grabbing of the hair, Carrick and many others are understandably questioning the perceived ‘force’ that influenced Paul Tierney’s final ruling.
Put simply, many have put it down to whether or not it’s a hair pull/grab and how much of a tug the opponent felt.
Yorkshire-born striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin said in an interview after the whistle: “I don’t make the rules. I told the referee that my hair was pulled.”
Clearly, Carrick is far from the only one who thinks it was a “shocking” call from the officials, either.
Several pundits argued that it was “harsh” to send off ‘Licha’, with even old foes like former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher stating live on Sky Sports’ MNF analysis of the game: “I think everybody in the game is looking at that and thinking, ‘Oh, come on. That is not a red card. Behave yourself!
As the current interim Man United boss – on whom it remains to be seen whether or not he will get the job full-time – he was left visibly frustrated in his own post-match pressers, highlighting that there were other moments in the game that the referees missed or simply overlooked.
The Stretford finally saw their interim head coach make his emotions plain to see.
Fans online have cited other recent examples, such as Man City’s Antoine Semenyo having his hair pulled against Fulham just a couple of months ago, which went unpunished, as well as David Brooks getting away with only a booking for something similar on Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella back in January.
The general consensus in the stands on the night at Old Trafford, on social media in the aftermath, and indeed throughout the Premier League, is that supporters simply want more consistency when it comes to stuff like this.
Rule books change and get more complicated all the time; that’s just football, but if that is the way it will continue going, arbitrators like the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) have to uphold their own standards.
Now slapped with a three-match ban, Martinez had only just returned to the fold but will now be missing once again. Another absentee whose presence was clearly missed on the night was midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, though United fans will at least be relieved to hear his injury is nothing serious.
And that’s not the only positive update regarding the homegrown young star, either…
Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshots via YouTube)
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Morrissey claims sole credit for The Smiths’ iconic Salford Lads’ Club photo shoot idea
Danny Jones
Morrissey is once again raising the issue of credit and disputes over The Smiths’ legacy, as the controversial former frontman has now claimed that their iconic photo shoot outside of Salford Lads’ Club was entirely his idea.
The 66-year-old lead singer turned solo star from Urmston is no stranger to sparking debates and attracting controversy, and it seems his latest is to do with one of the most iconic images in British music history, let alone just Greater Manchester.
The Davyhulme-born bard and divisive artist goes on to claim that the other co-founding members of the iconic Manc band initially viewed as more of his “lunacy” – the suggestion seemingly being (as it often is with Morrissey) that they simply didn’t understand the ‘genius’ at the time.
Many of his most die-hard fans still believe that most don’t and never will.
He even jokes that, in another life, it could very well have been something entirely different and random, such as the Kellogg’s factory in Trafford, basically suggesting that other members would have simply followed suit.
In his words, he argues that “now millions of people come from all over the world to be photographed on that very spot, it is claimed as a Smiths idea. It wasn’t, it isn’t, and it never shall be.”
Once again, this is by no means the first time he’s called into question, ‘who did what’ and/or who owns what bit of intellectual property; in fact, there was apparently another one of these instances with Johnny Marr only recently.
‘Moz’ and Marr have been at loggerheads pretty much ever since the group disbanded back in 1987, and still look to be far away from seeing eye to eye on virtually anything.
The Manc -
27th January 2021 
