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The fake emails look like this. sur
Beware of urgent emails offering an extra Covid vaccine - it's a scam

Beware of urgent emails offering an extra Covid vaccine - it's a scam

Spain's Office of Internet Security says these emails, which appear to come from the Ministry of Health, are an attempt to steal the user's data

Raquel Merino

Malaga

Tuesday, 29 March 2022, 12:49

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Anyone who receives an email with an urgent message about an additional Covid jab, beware: it could be a fraud intended to make people download a fictional file which scammers will use to obtain information, including their bank accounts.

Spain's Office of Internet Security has warned of a new wave of fraudulent emails which appear to come from the Ministry of Health (Ministro de Sanidad). They inform the user that they have been selected for an additional dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and that it is urgent. The recipient of the email is asked to download a card with all the details, and told they can choose the type of vaccine they would prefer by also downloading an attachment. However, the link to the attachment and the explanatory card contain a malicious file.

The email uses the official logo of the Spanish Ministry of Health and the text does not contain as many spelling mistakes as many ‘phishing’ attempts do, says the Office of Internet Security. However, there are some clues to look out for:

- The domain is not the official domain of the Spanish government’s Ministry of Health.

- The subject of the email is: !Tenemos un anuncio urgente sobre la dosis extra de vacuna! although the scammers may use something similar.

- It doesn’t address the recipient by name, only by their email address.

- There are a few typos, but not the typical spelling and punctuation mistakes which are typical of these fraudulent emails.

Anyone who receives an email like this should delete it without opening it. If they have already opened it, they should not click on any of the links otherwise the malicious programme will have downloaded and be running on the device. If that is the case, the device should be checked and scanned by an antivirus programme to eliminate it.

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