Sophisticated fraudsters have prompted a councillor to warn people about a number of scam emails and text messages being sent to mobile phones and inboxes in recent days.
Independent councillor Peter Atkinson posted warnings to residents including on Facebook.
His warnings came as the Sussex police and crime commissioner Katy Bourne also spoke about the rising tide of cyber-crime.
Warning about the latest round of “phishing” messages, Councillor Atkinson said: “I’m guessing that many of you will have received the following text:
“‘GOVUK: We have identified you as eligible for a discounted energy bill under the Energy Bills Support Scheme. You can apply here: The web link is my-energyonline com.’
“I’ve removed the http part so people don’t inadvertently complete the process online.
“Be very careful as it eventually asks for your credit card details including your security code so is almost definitely a scam. It looks very convincing though.”
He said that a similar text message and email was being sent which said: “GOVUK: You are eligible for a discounted energy bill under the Energy Bills Support Scheme. You can apply here: https://energy-discount-form.com.”
Police and crime commissioner Katy Bourne said: “This month marks National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Ten years ago, many of us would have been unaware of cyber-crime and the devastating impact it can have.
“In recent years, cyber-crime has significantly increased, with capabilities becoming more advanced and criminals developing their techniques and understanding of how to exploit people.
“Every year, millions of individuals and businesses across the nation continue to be victims of cyber-crime. This offence costs our country billions of pounds, can jeopardise national security and causes real threat to people’s livelihoods.
“From phishing or hacking to malicious software, cyber-crime presents in many forms. It can often be difficult to spot the signs that you are a target and it is often under-reported.
“Here in Sussex, we take cyber-crime very seriously. This is a subject I discuss regularly with our chief constable in my ‘performance and accountability meetings’ to ensure the force has effective, dedicated resources to tackle this critical area.
“In 2014, Sussex was the first force to establish a joint Cyber Crime Unit with Surrey Police in the effort to tackle and disrupt serious organised cyber criminals.
“Most recently, Sussex has also established a Digital Investigation Support Unit made up of 14 officers and staff who are responsible for managing digital material, obtaining devices and presenting information for prosecution.
“Sussex Police also has a specialist Digital Forensic Unit with a wide range of expertise in identifying, analysing and reporting on data stored electronically.
“As this area of crime continues to grow as does our daily digital usage, it is important that we all know how to protect ourselves online.
“The National Crime Agency has a wealth of information on their website to help recognise the signs of a scam and how to make yourself a harder target.”
I am getting constant scam texts and emails. They look so genuine. There needs to be a advertising campaign to warn especially the elderly that might fall for them. Facebook is also full of scam ads. I have reported one to them but they still did not remove the advertisement probably because they get paid for it. So in effect facebbook is openly letting scammers rob its users.