[Updated] A fake email message asking people to “validate your Covid-19 status” is circulating, making an erroneous claim in what appears to be a phishing attempt.
The message — which is not accurate and purports to come from the Government but does not as the email sender address clearly shows — claims, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] has issued a compulsory Covid-19 status validation to all Bermuda residents due to Covid-19, indicating a very high level of Covid-19 in the country. An immediate validation of your Covid-19 status is compulsory. This is a Waiver Validation Update and a compulsory one-time validation for all Bermuda citizens and legal permanent residents. Please follow reference below to validate your Covid-19 status.”
It also includes a link, which if you receive the message we would not advise you click on, and we would strongly not advise you fill out the form it leads to.
All emails sent by the Government of Bermuda will use a correct email as the sender, and all messages from the Government of Bermuda are delivered via press conference and/or the official website and/or carried by local media, meaning if this was true — which it is not – it would be announced by the Government.
Update 3.04pm: A Government spokesperson stated, “The Government is aware of a false message that is being shared by email and on social media. The email, which asks the reader to validate their Covid-19 status looks as though it has been sent by the Ministry of Health. This is not a Government of Bermuda message. The link in the message should not be clicked on and the email should not be forwarded. If a member of the public receives the email, they should delete it.”
