SCAMMERS are taking advantage of the coronavirus outbreak, with fraudulent text messages purporting to be from the government, police have warned.

A police spokesperson said officers have received reports of a text scam, which is engineered to appear as if it comes from the UK Gov mailer that was used for the official Government message sent on Tuesday.

The message states the recipient has breached new coronavirus regulations and will be fined, asking them to contact an 0800 number.

However, despite appearing similar, the message is not from the government, or any other official source.

Hereford Times:

Police and Action Fraud have warned that criminals will use any opportunity they can to defraud innocent people out of money.

"This includes exploiting national emergencies such as the one we find ourselves in at the moment," a police spokesperson said.

"It’s important you don’t click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails or texts, and never respond to unsolicited messages and calls that ask for your personal or financial details."