In times of crisis when fear of the unknown is heightened, people – particularly the vulnerable, become more susceptible to trickery. Unfortunately, there are plenty of malicious individuals out there who are willing to leverage the situation in order to make a quick buck.
The government are relying on emails and text messages as communication channels and we are already seeing scams circulating which have untrustworthy links in them. Many have seen text messages which look like they come from GOV.UK and suggest that some kind of financial support package is available. They require your bank details and provide a link for you to click on. These texts are scams and should be deleted immediately. Remember, if the link does not end in “gov.uk” or “nhs.net”, it is not legitimate.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) are taking down a lot of these malicious websites as soon as they become aware of them. If you are sent a suspicious email or text, please report it via the Netcraft website at: https://report.netcraft.com/report
Be vigilant, stay safe.
What is SEGWARP?
South East Government Warning, Advisory and Reporting Point (SEGWARP) is one of a number of groups around the country designed to bring together information security officers from local government. The aim is to provide a one-stop shop for early warning, information sharing and best-practice advice around the latest cyber-security threats.
South East Employers runs SEGWARP in conjunction with a specialist WARP manager. We also have the co-operation of the LGA, other WARPs around the country, local resilience forums and specialist organisations such as the local Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU)
