Another scam

I've just had an email claiming to be a notice of intended prosecution from Greater Manchester Police.

It isn't anything of the sort.  It's a plausible looking scam trying to extract money and/or bank details under false pretences.

My suspicions were aroused by the fact that it did not carry a vehicle registration number - quite apart from the fact that I was nowhere near Manchester on the stated date.

It's all too easy to fall for these scams.  They are becoming more and more convincing - but one click on a link in such an email could be disastrous for your bank account.

If you receive anything like this either report it to the organisation it claims to come from - without using any link or return email address in the scam itself - or simply delete it.

Things to look out for are incorrect or obsolete email addresses, absence of any specific detail like an account number or car registration number and spelling or grammatical errors. Don't assume that the organisation's logo makes it genuine - images are easy to copy from the internet or scan from documents.

Take 5 minutes to think about it and check before responding to any email that is unexpected.

No bank or responsible trader will ever ask for your bank details, PIN or password.