A motorist in Essex reported receiving an “official-looking” email telling them they were caught speeding on a busy stretch of the M11 between Chelmsford and Harlow.
It claims the driver was caught speeding at 113mph on August 11 by a speed camera and provides a link to pay the fine.
When the motorist clicked on the link they were taken to an official-looking web page and were asked the pay the fine.
Fortunately, this motorist became suspicious and didn’t fall for the scam.
Suspicious drivers have reported the message to police and the link to the website no longer works.
However, police fear people have already fallen victim to the scam and could have forked out hundreds of pounds.
Detective Chief Inspector Lee Morton, head of Kent and Essex's Serious Economic Crime Unit, said: "These fraudsters are clearly opportunists who are taking a punt that you were driving on a particular road at a particular time and date.
"By choosing one of the region's busiest stretches of roads, they have increased the chance that someone might be conned into believing their lies and will pay the fine.
Police advice
- We would never notify individuals of a notice of intended prosecution via email and would always write to the registered address
- Don’t assume that a person who has sent you an email is who they say they are
- Use a spam filter. If you detect a phishing email, mark the message as spam and delete it. This ensures that the message cannot reach your inbox in future
- Fraudsters are unlikely to know your real name, so the email may address you in vague terms
- Phishing emails will probably contain odd details and incorrect spelling in the subject box and could contain spelling or grammatical errors in the email – this is an attempt to get around spam filters and into your inbox
"We will always notify people of a traffic offence by writing to the registered keeper of the vehicle involved and there will be clear details to follow in that written notice – we would never email or call you."
Essex Police have said if anyone has suspicions about an email they should mark it as spam and then delete it to avoid the message from reaching the inbox again.
Officers also urge anyone to come forward if they have been a victim or know someone who has been a victim of this type of fraud to call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
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