Social media users across the North East are being warned to stay vigilant, after an intricate scam has began emerging in popular Facebook groups relating to the region.
Phishing links posing as legitimate-looking news articles are being posted in frequently-used groups relating to NE localities, such as Sunderland Have Your Say - which has in excess of 20,000 active members.
The article itself misleadingly claims that a Sunderland police officer called 'Emma Davis' has made £18,000 a month by investing in cryptocurrency, and has recently took to ITV's This Morning to share her story with presenter Holly Willoughby.
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The headline in itself reads something along the lines of ‘Female police officer from Sunderland has revealed how she earns £18,000-a-month. People think I have a sugar daddy!” although there are different variations depending on location. Once clicked, users are directed to a website which looks identical to that of a reputable news source, however, the URL is completely different.
The article and it's contents and claims are also untrue - with no person called Emma Davis alleged to be working for the police ever appearing on This Morning. However, according to police, the photos used in the article are in fact a legitimate officer from a UK force.
Once a user has clicked on the link, the site then is alleged to rip data from the device viewed on, stealing personal data and information including e-mail addresses and phone numbers.
The EMCRC have reported that some users have been 'bombarded' with telephone calls from Bitcoin brokers after clicking the link itself. Other sources say that the phishing scam could steal bank details or other personal information.
However, the scam isn't just taking place in the North East, with police in North Yorkshire issuing an official statement after spotting it in a Facebook group local to them.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police, said: “We’ve become aware of a scam that is circulating on at least one local Facebook group. It suggests that a female police officer from York is earning a large some of money per month and that people think that she has a “sugar daddy” because of this.
"The article uses an image and details of a genuine officer from another police force, but describes her as being from York, to lure you into this scam. We have blurred out her face to protect her identity."
They continued: "We believe that it is specifically linked to Bitcoin, and it is possible that once you click on the link it may download a virus onto your device or steal your bank details or other personal information. Our advice is NOT to click on this link.
"We would also ask that if you are an admin of a local Facebook group and have seen this scam then please delete it immediately. Please also ensure if you are sharing posts to local Facebook groups that they are genuine and are not likely to put other members at risk of being scammed."
This occurrence is also not a new bogus way of stealing personal data, with other similar versions stating that Holly Willoughby herself invested in a system of digital payment and sharing her success live on air with the likes of Jeremy Clarkson, Gordon Ramsay and Martin Lewis to name a few. All occurrences are falsities.
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