Patients across the UK are being targeted by a Covid-19 scam offering false hope of a vaccine amid the current surge in infections.
Victims are sent a text purporting to be from the National Health Service inviting them to provide bank account details before making an appointment to be immunised.
Police and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute have issued urgent warnings advising patients they would never be asked for their bank details.
UK citizens are being asked to await contact from health officials to arrange vaccination.
“It’s important not to contact the NHS for a vaccination before then,” the NHS England’s website says.
Fraudsters are exploiting the edict by sending fake NHS text messages to patients with a link to a website asking for their personal details.
Katherine Hart, lead officer at CTSI, said the con came to light in December after the vaccination programme started but has since become widespread.
“The vaccine brings great hope for an end to the pandemic and lockdowns, but some only wish to create even further misery by defrauding others," she said.
“The NHS will never ask you for banking details, passwords or pin numbers and these should serve as instant red flags.”
She said the first cases emerged in the Western Isles of Scotland but are “by no means limited to the region”.
"This is the latest in a series of scams themed around the pandemic in circulation since last March. With the UK vaccine rollout under way, scammers have modified their scam to consider this new development," she said.
Police across the country have tweeted warnings about the con.
“Please be alert around scam text messages/cold calls telling you that you are eligible for a Covid vaccine, do not provide your payment details or any personal details in links attached," Hackney Police in east London said.
“Criminals are already taking advantage of the #Covid19 #vaccine," Greater Manchester Police said on its Facebook page.
Another Covid-19 text message con was circulating on Monday following Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement of a third national lockdown for England.
Bogus messages claimed people were eligible for a £240 support grant from the UK's welfare agency.
"From HMRC: The third lockdown has been announced, we have been issued a grant of £240 to help during this period, visit to claim," it read.
However, after clicking on the link people were directed to a webpage containing spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
There have also been incidents of fake vaccines for sale, with fraudsters claiming they can deliver shots within days for as little as $110.
On the messaging app Telegram, fraudsters are offering the Moderna vaccine for $180, Pfizer/BioNTech’s for $150 and Oxford/AstraZeneca’s for $110 a vial.
Asked how the vaccines would be shipped, the account creator said they were transported in “regulated temperature packs” and ice packs within a few days, or overnight for an additional charge.
“Patients should never try to secure a vaccine online – no legitimate vaccine is sold online – and only get vaccinated at certified vaccination centres or by certified healthcare providers,” a Pfizer spokesman said.
Other scams include emails promising entry to supposedly secret lists for early vaccine access in return for a fee and robo-callers impersonating government agencies.
Website domains containing the word vaccine in combination with Covid-19 or coronavirus have more than doubled since October to roughly 2,500.
“So far, a lot of these domains just appear to be opportunistic registrations but some are going to be used for phishing attempts to have people click on [malicious] links,” said Lindsay Kaye of Recorded Future.
Since March, criminals across Europe have been taking advantage of the pandemic.
A report by crime agency Europol in December warned further lockdowns could see organised crime thrive.
"In the short term, the return of strict lockdown measures may present a situation similar to the start of the pandemic," it said.
"In this scenario, criminal activities will continue to exploit the situation and various crime schemes may become more sophisticated in order to counter the increased public awareness of crime threats during the pandemic."
The use of new technologies and online activities in serious and organised crime will be further accelerated, Europol said.
But in the longer term, an enduring economic downturn could trigger serious and organised crime to flourish.
"Corruption may increase, and fraud and financial crime schemes may proliferate," it said.
"Certain types of counterfeit goods will be subject to increased demand.
"Overall, organised crime structures operating in the EU may benefit from the situation and could emerge stronger."
In August 2020, European customs agencies intercepted, seized or returned more than 8.5 million masks without the required certification or presenting other irregularities.
The trafficking of infrared thermometers and disinfectant gel is increasing, Europol has warned.
A few months ago, a raid on a warehouse belonging to an organised crime gang involved was found to contain 53,000 counterfeit products and more than 1.1 million medical masks of unknown origin and without customs documents.
Several types of telephone fraud schemes have also been reported to Europol, specifically targeting the elderly.
"This includes calls to victims by criminals claiming to be healthcare officials and demanding payments on behalf of a relative supposedly undergoing medical treatment," Europol said.
"In some cases, criminals impersonating police officers have issued on-the-spot fines to members of the public wearing masks."
The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
One-off T20 International: UAE v Australia
When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start
Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1
Tickets: Admission is free
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle
Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
Name: buybackbazaar.com
Started: January 2018
Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech, micro finance
Initial investment: $1 million
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEjari%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYazeed%20Al%20Shamsi%2C%20Fahad%20Albedah%2C%20Mohammed%20Alkhelewy%20and%20Khalid%20Almunif%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESanabil%20500%20Mena%2C%20Hambro%20Perks'%20Oryx%20Fund%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Everton%20Fixtures
%3Cp%3EApril%2015%20-%20Chelsea%20(A)%3Cbr%3EApril%2021%20-%20N.%20Forest%20(H)%3Cbr%3EApril%2024%20-%20Liverpool%20(H)%3Cbr%3EApril%2027%20-%20Brentford%20(H)%3Cbr%3EMay%203%20-%20Luton%20Town%20(A)%3Cbr%3EMay%2011%20-%20Sheff%20Utd%20(H)%3Cbr%3EMay%2019%20-%20Arsenal%20(A)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
