A SCAM email has been circulating around the Royal Borough asking residents to donate to help beat the coronavirus pandemic.

The council’s trading standards team is warning locals of fake messages supposedly from the World Health Organisation (WHO) asking for extra money to develop a vaccine for the dreaded covid-19 faster.

Residents have been asked to delete the email immediately and not respond to the scammers or open any links and attachments.

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In the email, it says: “The ‘Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund’, is a secure way for individuals, philanthropies, and businesses, to contribute to the WHO-led effort, to respond to the pandemic.”

It then lists what they will spend the money on:

  • Send essential supplies such as personal protective equipment to front line health workers
  • Enable all countries to track and detect the disease by boosting laboratory capacity through training and equipment.
  • Ensure health workers and communities everywhere have access to the latest science-based information to protect themselves, prevent infection and care for those in need.
  • Accelerate efforts to fast-track the discovery and development of lifesaving vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments.

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The internet security company Sophos has found almost three per cent of all global spam is estimated to be Covid-19 related with many of those emails impersonating the WHO or the United Nations.

If you think you’ve been victim of a scam, you must speak to your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.