National Insurance refund scam

Information received from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) warns the public to look out for a fake National Insurance refund scam. The scam, sent via email, is designed to look like an official government department communication.

The message informs the recipient that according to their national insurance contributions, they are eligible for a tax refund as part of measures to alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown. The evidence CTSI has received quotes a refund of £128.34. The message asks the recipient to click a link to "claim your national insurance refund". The link goes to a page which requests the banking details of the user which sends the data to fraudsters. Never click on links in emails unless you are sure of the authenticity of the sender.

To report scam emails, forward the original message to report@phishing.gov.uk. An automated system run by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) will scan the email, and if malicious links are found, the associated website will be taken down. You can learn more about how to spot different types of scams by becoming a Friend Against Scams at www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk/elearning/durham