Sophisticated fraudsters have prompted a councillor to warn people about a number of scam emails and text messages being sent to mobile phones and inboxes in recent days.
Independent councillor Peter Atkinson posted warnings to residents including on Facebook.
His warnings came as the Sussex police and crime commissioner Katy Bourne also spoke about the rising tide of cyber-crime.
Warning about the latest round of “phishing” messages, Councillor Atkinson said: “I’m guessing that many of you will have received the following text:
“‘GOVUK: We have identified you as eligible for a discounted energy bill under the Energy Bills Support Scheme. You can apply here: The web link is my-energyonline com.’
“I’ve removed the http part so people don’t inadvertently complete the process online.
“Be very careful as it eventually asks for your credit card details including your security code so is almost definitely a scam. It looks very convincing though.”
He said that a similar text message and email was being sent which said: “GOVUK: You are eligible for a discounted energy bill under the Energy Bills Support Scheme. You can apply here: https://energy-discount-form.com.”
Police and crime commissioner Katy Bourne said: “This month marks National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Ten years ago, many of us would have been unaware of cyber-crime and the devastating impact it can have.
“In recent years, cyber-crime has significantly…
