NE Police issue warning over fake e-mail scams

Police have issued a warning not to click on links from unknown companies. The warning comes as fraudsters are increasingly creating fake email addresses that look like they come from genuine companies.

"The purpose of a scam email is to get you to click on a link contained within it. The link will take you to a website which may look genuine, it may download a virus to your computer, steal passwords or other personal information. This is known as 'phishing'.

"A simple way of checking is to click on the ‘sender’ or ‘details of sender’ to reveal the true identity of the sender. These are often random addresses, however some can have slight variations on the original making them difficult to detect. If in doubt check the actual website to confirm."

What should you do if you've received a scam email?

• Do not click on any links in the scam email.
• Do not reply to the email or contact the senders in any way.
• If you inadvertently click on a link do not supply any information.
• Do not open any attachments that arrive with the email.

If you receive a fake email you can report it to the National Cyber Security Centre by emailing report@phishing.gov.uk.

Original message sent by: Mark Irvine (Police, Constable - Crime Reduction, North East Division)