Action Fraud is warning people to be on the lookout for the “most convincing phishing email” it has ever seen.
Scammers replicated a real e-receipt from Debenhams and are sending it out in a scam, asking for personal details in order to get money from people.
Unsuspecting members of the public can sometimes be fooled by legitimate looking emails aimed at getting them to divulge their personal bank details in order to defraud them of their money. On the face of it, the mail has the appearance of a genuine attempt to compensate or pay customers money they haven’t really earned.
A spokesperson for Action Fraud wrote in a statement:: “This Debenhams e-receipt is the most convincing phishing email we’ve seen and could be lurking in your inbox.
“More than 55 information reports have been sent to our National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB).
“We would advise people to not click on any links, delete it and report it to us “Debenhams are aware it’s a fake and have had customers contact them directly about it.
“Their e-receipts are issued to people when they make a purchase in store and this is a carbon copy. So these are not only unusual, but could catch some people off guard.
“The giveaway is the fact they were sent from personal email addresses.”
A Debenhams spokesperson added: “We are aware of this and we continually take steps to protect customers and support the work that organisations such as Action Fraud and Cyber Aware conduct to encourage customers to be vigilant and aware of the steps they can take to stay cyber secure.”
Fraudsters are always looking for a fast way to make money at the expense of innocent customers, but customers need to be extremely diligent and not fall for one of these dubious scams. A team of investigators are trying to track down the scammers by skilfully setting them up into a position of comfort until they are found out.
A twitter message from Action fraud read:
Action Fraud @actionfrauduk This Debenhams e-receipt is the most convincing #phishing email we’ve seen and could be lurking in your inbox. Fraudsters have created an exact replica of a real e-receipt, but you’ll notice they’re sent from personal email addresses and not Debenhams. We’ve had 55+ reports!
If you received one of these emails, delete it straight away. Do not open any links. Report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk