Nearly a quarter (22%) of Brits have received phishing emails asking them to download their ‘proof of vaccination’ in the past six months, according to new research by Tessian.
The analysis found that most of these scam messages received in the UK impersonated the National Health Service (NHS), the public body that manages official vaccination pass documentation in the country.
The researchers noted many of these phishing messages look genuine, containing official logos, using accurate display names and correct spelling. The emails commonly looked to convey a sense of urgency to panic victims into acting without thinking clearly. This included using subject lines with terms like “IMPORTANT” and “OFFICIAL,” and describing the potential repercussions of failing to act on the message, such as an inability to travel or requirement to quarantine if instructions are not followed.
Figure 1 was displayed as an example of a message of this type:
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