London residents have been targeted with fake fine notification texts in which fraudsters tell the victim that they owe money for violating UK lockdown rules. The malicious text is designed to resemble a genuine COVID-19 alert sent by the UK government. Victims who receive the message have reported that it states they owe £35 after being caught leaving their homes on multiple occasions in a single day.
In the UK, residents may only leave home for essential work, to purchase basic necessities such as groceries, and to partake in “one form of exercise” per day. The malicious text has makes it seem as though the sender is “UK.Gov” in an effort to look authentic and references a genuine media campaign that is currently in use by the government. Those who click on the link embedded in the text message are prompted to enter financial details to pay the fine.
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