Recent email scam

Avocado

I have just found this in my junkmail folder...

Title: " , your Benefits are Being Taken Away. Respond by November 8 to keep them"

,

Don't let the government take your benefits away. Respond by Nov 8 to keep them.

You may be entitled to money that the government CANNOT TAKE AWAY.

Complete your details by Nov 8th to find out how much you could get.

This year thousands of people had their benefits taken away, but money is available for you,
regardless of your income, or job status.

Confirm today and claim your benefits back

Looking at the title and that the email opens on a full stop I imagine that many people will get these with their name on. There is an image at the top, but I can't see it so I don't know what it is. Something to make it look more official I expect.

I will call Child Benefit tomorrow and double check but I think it's pretty clearly a scam. It's a scam that's going to frighten vulnerable people too. I have copied the links into blue underlined font so that they are not links any more, I've not tried them, I don't intend to.

We're all used to scam emails saying was can claim £x amount for our recent accident, or our card or loan has been approved, or we can wipe out our debts. Even fake bank emails are nothing new, but I've never seen one about benefits. I think people should be aware.

If this turns out to be real I shall apologise... Can't see it though.

Muttleythefrog

I wouldn't bother contacting Child Benefit... it's a phishing email or plain nonsense.

baza52

Thats why it was in your "junk" folder

Avocado

I'm not sure what you're getting at Baza. Perhaps you mean to infer that as it went to junk it wasn't worth mentioning? Junk filters are far from totally accurate, important things end up in junk folders regularly.

You might not give an unusual email in your junk folder second thought, but others will. Scam emails purporting to be from the benefits agency are hardly the most well known kind either.

I've had 2 more of these since I posted this too, depressingly. It must be a good line or they wouldn't keep recycling it.

baza52

Its CLEARLY junk email and anyone with half a brain would see it for what it is.
Can i ask why you were going to call Child Benefit?

As for the links, just hover over them and see what addresss they are forwarding/linking to.

As for important things regularly ending up in your junk mail? It must be you.
Been using the Net and email for over 15 years now and i cant say ive had this problem.

Avocado

Does it make you feel big and clever to call my intellect and technical abilities into question Bazza? I'm so sorry you feel the need to behave like that. All the best with your off line relationships.

LadyMorticia

Definitely a scam.

Do the DWP etc even ask for email addresses? I'm pretty sure they don't so I'd always be wary getting an email from a government department unless I had emailed them first.