The NHS has topped a list of the Government departments, agencies and public bodies that cybercriminals most frequently impersonated in 2022 to scam members of the public.
Cyber security experts have warned Britons to be vigilant about emails and text messages sent out by imposters that appear at first glance to come from official channels such as the NHS and aim to prompt recipients to click through to unsafe websites or download viruses or spyware onto their devices.
TV Licensing was the second most common impersonation scam reported last year, followed by HM Revenue & Customs, and the UK Government website, gov.uk, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ – revealed. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency was the fifth most used cover, and the energy regulator, Ofgem, came sixth.
A common tactic used in phishing scams – whereby hackers attempt to trick people into revealing sensitive information such as passwords or banking information by inviting them to click a bad link that will download malware or direct them to a fake website – is to exploit topical events.
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Their aim is often to make recipients visit a website, which may stealthily download a virus onto their computer, ask them to make what appears to be a legitimate payment or steal bank details and other personal data.
This year, the NCSC saw cyber criminals exploit the rising cost of living with Ofgem energy bill support scams and HMRC tax rebate scams. They…
