Almost £2million has been lost to coronavirus-related fraud across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Action Fraud said it seen a number of different scams relating to Covid-19, including people and businesses falling victim to online shopping frauds.
People have been conned into paying for protective face masks or hand sanitiser that do not exist.
The majority of reports are related to online shopping scams where victims have ordered these types of products.
Almost £2million has been lost to coronavirus-related fraud across England, Wales and Northern Ireland (file image)
People have been conned into paying for protective face masks or hand sanitiser that do not exist (file image)
There have been 678 reports to Action Fraud and total losses of £1,866,550.
There have been 2,747 reports of phishing.
Coronavirus-themed phishing emails have been used to trick people into opening malicious attachments or revealing sensitive personal and financial information.
And online market place sellers have been selling hand sanitiser products for more than 5000 per cent their recommended retail price.
Action Fraud is run by City of London Police, working alongside the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, which is responsible for assessment of the reports and to ensure they reach the right place.
A London Ambulance Service (LAS) contractor has been arrested on suspicion of stealing face masks as criminals continue to exploit the coronavirus crisis.
The man, who is in his 20s, is accused of stealing the protective equipment, along with other items, from stores in north London before selling them online.
Kierran Stevenson, 32, decided to wander around his local hospital purely to witness the coronavirus pandemic on the frontline and make postings to Facebook
He was held in Windmill Road, near Edmonton ambulance station, on Wednesday, but has since been bailed, while items recovered in searches have been returned to LAS.
The Metropolitan Police said he had access to the sites because he was a contractor working with LAS.
Detective Inspector Jason Colby said: ‘I am saddened that anyone would take advantage of the NHS for their financial gain at such a critical time.
‘These masks are a vital piece of PPE for emergency service personnel and are used to keep both themselves and patients safe.
‘We will continue to crack down on anyone attempting to take advantage of our emergency services for personal gain, especially at such an unprecedented time. We are grateful to those who are assisting our investigation.’
Steven Mackie (left) was arrested on Saturday after police caught him ignoring social distancing rules twice in the space of 15 minutes. The 53-year-old has been handed a fine at Stockport Magistrates Court. Pictured, right: Kierran Stevenson
Fraudsters frequently pose as people from the WHO and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and claim that they can provide the victim with a list of active infections in their area.
In order to access that information, the victim must either click a link which takes them to a credential-stealing page, or they have to make a donation to a Bitcoin account.
Other methods include fraudsters sending investment scheme and trading advice with the intention to encourage victims to take financial advantage of the coronavirus crisis.
The scammers also claim to be from HMRC offering a tax refund before redirecting victims to a website that harvests personal and financial details. These emails include the HMRC logo to add to their authenticity.
Superintendent Sanjay Andersen, Head of the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, said: ‘Fraudsters will use any opportunity they can to take money from innocent people. This includes exploiting tragedies and global emergencies.
‘The majority of scams we are seeing relate to the online sale of protective items, and items that are in short supply across the country, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said some people are using the Covid-19 pandemic to commit criminal offences, including Ashaq Sattar, 40, who posed as an NHS volunteer.
He knocked on the doors of elderly and vulnerable victims in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, claiming he would collect their medicine for a small fee.
Sattar was jailed for a year at Leeds Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to five counts of fraud.
Others have been convicted of breaching restrictions on movement, including Kierran Stevenson, 32, who was jailed for 12 weeks after posting photos on Facebook of Aylesbury hospital corridors and commenting staff were not taking safety measures seriously.
Steven Mackie, 53, was fined £500 for breaching restrictions of movement after repeatedly approaching shoppers in a Tesco queue in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester.
Thomas Wilson (left), 19, was jailed for six months after being arrested last Tuesday and Bevan Burke (right), 22, was jailed for nine months after spitting at a shopkeeper on April 3
And Jason Harewood, 27, pleaded guilty to contravening restriction of movement rules after he was caught distributing drugs on his pedal bike in Islington, north London, last Friday.
Coronavirus continues to be used as a threat against police officers and other emergency workers, with Bevan Burke, 22, among those jailed this week.
Burke was sentenced to 42 weeks in prison for two counts of assaulting an emergency worker and assault by beating after coughing at police officers in Leicester and telling them he hoped they died from the virus.
The director of Public Prosecutions Max Hill QC, said: ‘Although this is only a small sample of the cases that we have prosecuted over the last week, it clearly demonstrates the number of people who are determined to break the law in the most critical of times.
‘It is disappointing to see charges come in on a daily basis of hard-working police officers, NHS staff and other vital workers, being coughed or spat at, sometimes deliberately exposing them to the risk of infecting them with coronavirus.
‘We take these offences immensely seriously and want to make it absolutely clear- that where there is evidence to do so, people will be prosecuted and can face up to one year in prison.’
Action Fraud has given the public advice as to how to avoid being scammed by fraudsters during the coronavirus crisis:
1. Watch out for scam messages
Don’t click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails, and never respond to unsolicited messages and calls that ask for your personal or financial details.
2. Shopping online
If you’re making a purchase from a company or person you don’t know and trust, carry out some research first, and ask a friend or family member for advice before completing the purchase.
If you decide to go ahead with the purchase, use a credit card if you have one, as most major credit card providers insure online purchases.
3. Protect your devices from the latest threats
Always install the latest software and app updates to protect your devices from the latest threats.
WHAT IS PHISHING?
Phishing involves cyber-criminals attempting to steal personal information such as online passwords, bank details or money from an unsuspecting victim.
Very often, the criminal will use an email, phone call or even a fake website pretending to be from a reputable company.
The criminals can use personal details to complete profiles on a victim which can be sold on the dark web.
Cyber criminals will use emails in an effort to elicit personal information from victims in order to commit fraud or infect the user’s computer for nefarious purposes
Some phishing attempts involve criminals sending out infected files in emails in order to take control of a victim’s computer.
Any from of social media or electronic communication can form part of a phishing attempt.
Action Fraud warn that you should never assume an incoming message is from a genuine company – especially if it asks for a payment or wants you to log on to an online account.
Banks and other financial institutions will never email looking for passwords or other sensitive information.
An effected spam filter should protect from most of the malicious messages, although the user should never call the number at the bottom of a suspicious email or follow their link.
Experts advise that customers should call the organisation directly to see if the attempted communication was genuine.
According to Action Fraud: ‘Phishing emails encourage you to visit the bogus websites.
‘They usually come with an important-sounding excuse for you to act on the email, such as telling you your bank details have been compromised, or claim they’re from a business or agency and you’re entitled to a refund, rebate, reward or discount.
‘The email tells you to follow a link to enter crucial information such as login details, personal information, bank account details or anything else that can be used to defraud you.
‘Alternatively, the phishing email may try to encourage you to download an attachment. The email claims it’s something useful, such as a coupon to be used for a discount, a form to fill in to claim a tax rebate, or a piece of software to add security to your phone or computer.
‘In reality, it’s a virus that infects your phone or computer with malware, which is designed to steal any personal or banking details you’ve saved or hold your device to ransom to get you to pay a fee.’
Source: Action Fraud