A Highlands and Islands MSP has warned over the threat from scammers exploiting the pandemic after being targeted himself.
Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston said criminals were using the Covid-19 vaccination programme to exploit people and had received a scam email himself claiming to offer a vaccination date.
The Scottish Conservative MSP said: “The vaccination programme has offered real hope to so many people and it is sickening that there are people out there willing to exploit this for financial gain. Having received an email myself, I realised straight away that it was a scam and should be reported, but many might not as the scam emails are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their initial appearance."
“It make me so angry that there are criminals out there seeking to defraud people by making bogus offers to provide testing and vaccination services. It really is important that as many people as possible are made aware of this - particularly those who may be vulnerable - so we reduce the chances of them falling victim to these scams."
“That’s why I am backing efforts by Advice Direct Scotland to raise awareness of this problem. They provide a dedicated website on coronavirus-related issues at www.coronavirusadvice.scot and I would encourage anyone who becomes aware of suspicious activity to report it via www.scamwatch.scot.”
