Cunning spam - or not?

["Slack Alice" Simon]

For your information - I have just posted this on my local village website:

I have just had an email saying it comes from NOREPLYCOVIDVACCINE (GREAT WESTERN HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST) asking me to call what looks like a Swindon number to book a vaccine appointment. I don't think this is genuine, I think it will connect to a premium rate phone ..... I might be wrong about this, but it is worth checking before you call. Cheers,
Simon Harding


If you get something similar, I think it is worth checking.  Or am I being too cautious?

[Rick F]

Out here, the NHS are contacting by letter only. Local surgeries are using the phone and booking by phone. There is no reason for the NHS to have your email address unless you have supplied it.

There are some evils people out there just waiting to take advantage of others.

[Steve kay]

   

Same here in South Wales, the surgery sends out the letter with appointment info, but also with everything to be read and signed. And the car parking sign to put in the window of your car, as illustrated in an otherwise empty car park. Certainly beware of such an email.

[e-richard]

You're absolutely right to be cautious and suspicious, but at the same time, the NHS will use any possible means to get in touch with as many people as possible.

e.g. I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by text on a Monday morning, the text had a link to a website, which I (VERY CAREFULLY) clicked through, checking the destination and then booked an appointment for 8.20 am the following morning. All was above board, simple, pleasant and correct.

[Colin Wilks]

We got texts with a link to an NHS booking site from our GP, so reckoned safe and they worked fine.
My mobile phone settings bars making calls to premium rate lines. If you can do the same with your mobile you could test the number without risk of incurring charges, although if it's a 01793 number I can't see that this is a premium rate line.
Just don't give whoever answers your credit card!

["Slack Alice" Simon]

It was paranoia on my part - mind you, the rest of the email seemed to be encouraging you to hang on the phone as long as possible, so the NHS haven't done a good job of constructing its message.

A couple of people have told me that they have booked using this number.

So far, the system is - you get a letter, or, if you think you have been missed, being in the relevant group, you can call them.

If they are going to change the procedure, why don't they tell us first?

The message came through on my email, but wasn't addressed specifically to me.

When Jan rang up, the person she spoke to didn't know anything about it.   AHA! I thought, but after a bit of kerfuffle - yes, it was right, and no, Jan, you are not in the age group we are looking at.

I had my jab last week, so the systems are not joined up.

Which explains why I am still getting NHS letters for the previous occupier of this house, we have only been here 36 years and they haven't caught up yet.

[Dave Mann]

With this covid lockdown I have received quite a few suspicious e mails asking me to click the link which have all been binned.

[Biddlecombe]

I had "the royal mail" click the link for your £1.99 parcel, came in a text. Beware!

[Nigel Ricardo]

We both had a letter from the NHS, we booked online, no problem injection last Friday at 1430, received a phone call on Friday morning from the surgery asking us to book an appointment to which my wife replied we are having it this afternoon.

[Nick Turley]

Hi Nigel

We had exactly the same experience !