A SCAM email has been sent to people across Sussex - tricking them into handing over their bank details to book an appointment for a Covid-19 vaccination.
The email, claiming to be from the NHS, asks the recipient to click a link to either accept or decline an appointment.
By clicking the link to accept the appointment, the recipient is taken to another page and asked for personal details, including their mother's maiden name.
It then takes you to a further page which asks for bank account details.
Carl Sullivan, 64, from Peacehaven received the email at 6am this morning.
He said he was immediately “suspicious” because he has no pre-existing health conditions and is not currently eligible by age for the coronavirus vaccine.
Carl added that the was also alarmed to see that it was not sent from an NHS email address.
The email reads: “As part of the government’s coordinated response to coronavirus, NHS is performing selections for coronavirus vaccination on the basis of family genetics and medical history.”
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Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said it was aware of scams in the city where people are receiving calls and texts about the jab, and are charged when they reply, or are asked for their bank details.
The CCG issued a warning and said: "In some cases, people are asked to press a number on their keypad or to send a text message to confirm they wish to receive the vaccine.
"Doing so is likely to result in a charge being applied to their phone bill. In other cases, callers are offering the vaccine for a fee or asking for bank details.
"The vaccine is only available from the NHS and the NHS will contact you when it is your turn.
"The NHS will never ask you to press a button on your keypad or send a text asking you to confirm you want the vaccine, and will never ask for payment for the vaccine or for your bank details."
The NHS said it has seen “a number of examples of coronavirus related, malicious cyber activity" and recommended that people take the “necessary precautions” to stay safe and vigilant against phishing emails.
People have been advised against opening attachments or clicking links without establishing if they are legitimate and to check the details of the sender and the content of the email before taking further action.
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