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South Yorkshire Police <http://www.southyorks.police.uk>
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Scam Alert: Be Aware of Fixed Penalty Notice Phishing Email
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Good afternoon,
Local residents are urged to be aware of a Fixed Penalty Notice scam
which has been circulating in South Yorkshire.
SYP's Fraud Co-ordination Team has been made aware of the fraudulent
email, which tells people they must pay a £25 fine for failing to pay
the fee for using their vehicle on a certain road.
The email, which claims to be from HM Courts and Tribunals Service,
makes threats that the amount payable will increase to £50 if the fine
is not paid within 14 days.
It then asks you to click on a link to pay the fine.
This scam email is a typical example of phishing: where cyber criminals
try to trick you into clicking on the links within their scam email or
text message, or give away sensitive information.
These messages may look authentic but they are malicious. Once clicked,
you may be sent to pay money directly into the fraudsters' bank account,
you might have nasty viruses downloaded onto your computer, or your
passwords may be stolen.
Spotting scam emails is becoming increasingly difficult as they look so
professional. If you are not sure whether the email you have received is
genuine, contact the place it claims to be from via their official
website or using a known phone number - not via any links within the email.
If you think you have received a suspicious email, forward it to the
Suspicious Email Reporting Service at report@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
<mailto:report@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.> If you have already responded to the
scam and lost money, contact your bank and report the crime to Action
Fraud on 0330 123 2040 or online at www.actionfraud.police.uk.
<http://www.actionfraud.police.uk.>
Tips for spotting a suspicious email:
• The email claims to be from someone official, such as your bank, a
solicitor or a government department.
• You are warned there is a limited time to respond and there are
threats of fines or other negative consequences if you do not comply
• The message uses threatening language that makes you feel panic, fear,
hope or curiosity.
• The email is themed around a current event – criminals often exploit
current news stories, big events or specific times of year (such as tax
reporting) to make the scam seem relevant.
*Attachments*
Penalty Charge.JPG
<https://assets.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk/Attachment/817156/339045/65147/65147_Penalty_Charge.JPG>-
64.9 KB
*/Message Sent By/*
Dannielle Lee (Police, Cyber Protect Officer, South Yorkshire)
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Please note that this message was sent by South Yorkshire Police.
This email communication makes use of a "Clear Image" (gif) to track
results of the email campaign. If you wish to turn off this tracking for
future emails, you can do so by not downloading the images in the e-mail
itself.
