For most of us, being notified that you were to receive your Covid-19 vaccination was a moment of relief.
But for some, it was the start of an ordeal that has cost people all over the UK more than a third of a million pounds.
Sioban Moore, from North Yorkshire, escaped disaster by a whisker after receiving an email, supposedly from the NHS, inviting her to get her jab.
Okay, nothing out of the ordinary here as I received texts, emails and phone calls for the jab.
“I was very keen to accept the invitation,” she told BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours.
I wasn’t, so I ignored and blocked.
The message told her that unless she responded within 12 hours, the opportunity would go as the offer would be given to someone else. Eager to receive her vaccination, Sioban followed the link and accepted the invitation.
I can’t recall exactly whether mine said this or not, but again, I wouldn’t be surprised as that would happen anyway.
Personal details were then requested: date of birth, phone number, email address – and her bank details.
Okay, that’s it right there, the giveaway that this is a scam.
Sioban found the reasoning for this request for her bank details strange, but believable, as the scammers said this was to cover any costs that might be incurred by the vaccine process.
It is not remotely believable. The NHS never asks for money as we have already paid via taxation. This never, ever happens. Anyone asking for money is a scammer.
“I got up and went to my purse and got out my credit card. I looked at it and the penny dropped massively,” she said.
Better late than never in her case. Certainly the initial approach was likely to be believable, but the second personal details are required, the red flag goes up. The most the NHS are likely to ask for is your NHS number.
“I felt such boiling anger,” Sioban says. “It’s exploiting people’s vulnerability and fear, particularly fear, that we are all gripped by due to this virus and the situation we are in.
Irrespective of the scam, this comment is an insight to what has been going on this past eighteen months. People are fearful. They are not fearful of seasonal flu, yet the outpouring of propaganda from the media, SAGE and the government has caused this fear over what is a similar disease and they are a disgrace for doing so. The reality is that this is an unpleasant respiratory disease that is deadly for those who are vulnerable – end of life, elderly and those with weakened systems – but for the rest, it’s perfectly survivable as is flu. I am not living in fear. Never have been. Right from the start I recognised the scaremongering going on and have pretty much carried on as normal. In this instance, Sioban does not speak for me.
Was on shift today, my weekend on.
Called in Leigh Delamere M4 westbound on the journey out early doors, needed my Greggs fix, some 80% of people still wearing masks, including making their kids wear them, mostly holiday makers.
Called in LD eastbound on the way back late morning for a comfort break, even more sporting the masks of submission.
I’d hoped things might have improved, because my last weekly Morrisons shop only around half were still masked up.
The fear onslaught worked so well i’m beginning to think a large proportion of the public will never go back to what we once considered normal, never watch listen or read anything from the mainstream so not sure of the current fear mongering they are being bombarded with.
They texted again during the week inviting me to the jabattoir, and as with all the previous requests and the ones to come its been ignored.
I was out and about on Thursday for my guitar lesson. About fifty/fifty. That said, at the test centre the bike examiners aren’t bothering now and haven’t been for a while. The cafe we use has been mask free for a while as no one is taking a blind bit of notice of the QR code and when one of my students went to put on a mask one of the patrons told him he didn’t need to bother, so he took it off again. Many of my students are self employed and the average response is that it’s all bullshit.
The letters I received all said to go on the NHS website and book using your NHS number. There was no talk of the offer being gone in 12 hours
As with anything in life, if an offer is good today, it will be good tomorrow
That bit flagged it as a scam for me, before even clicking the link