The top UK Government branded attacks that have been reported to the official the National Cyber Security Centre’s Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) that have resulted in takedowns are, the NCSC reports:
1) National Health Service (NHS)
2) TV Licensing
3) HM Revenue & Customs
4) Gov.uk
5) DVLA; and
6) Ofgem.
In 2022, the NCSC says, it saw scammers exploit the rising cost of living with Ofgem energy bill support scams and HMRC tax rebate scams, while scammers continued to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to attempt PCR test scams.
The NCSC encourages the public to forward suspect emails to its Suspicious Email Reporting Service at [email protected], while suspicious texts should be forwarded to 7726. SERS received 6.4 million reports during 2022, with 67,300 scam URLs removed as a result. This brings the total number of reports to SERS since its launch in 2020 to 15.8m, with 198,500 takedowns.
The NCSC is also urging people to follow its Cyber Aware advice to protect their online accounts from scammers seeking to steal personal details and sensitive information. Specifically, people should set up two-step verification and use three random words passwords to prevent cyber criminals gaining access to email accounts.
Comment
Rachel Jones, CEO of SnapDragon Monitoring, says: “Fraudsters are making millions of pounds every year by tricking people into visiting copycat websites of genuine brands and encouraging purchases, in the case of TV licences, or fake products, as examples, or into handing over sensitive and confidential information.
“These scams are rife and very difficult to identify, particularly when we all skim read sites and buy online so readily. Sites which appear to be super-topical, reflecting issues around the pandemic or the cost-of-living crisis, for example, are increasingly common, offering seemingly (but fraudulent) solutions to the vulnerable.
“The NCSC does a fabulous job identifying and removing illegal sites to protect consumers, and the onus is now on individuals, to be vigilant, and the private sector to be proactive in doing the same. Businesses, products and services are illicitly replicated online daily, defrauding consumers of more than just money. Fraud of any kind can cause irreparable financial and emotional damage. For businesses, reputational damage can be just as bad.
“All businesses must now be on the alert for online threats – from monitoring for fake versions of websites, products, misuse of company logos, the list is endless. Only by monitoring for and removing these scams rapidly and improving awareness of these issues can consumers be kept informed and safe.”
