I RETURNED to work this morning following a week of annual leave spent home-schooling (hopefully for the last time) my daughter, who is in P4; decorating the last of the rooms in the house I haven’t done yet; and taking short walks near to my house. This probably sounds familiar to most people but hopefully we are well on the path to ending the restrictions.

We have all had enough of Covid-19 and I am sure everyone welcomes the restrictions being eased. I continue to ask that you follow the guidelines set by the Scottish Government and stay close to home. We will continue to engage with people and, although it may be a strong temptation, please stay away from beauty spots and beaches if it means breaching guidelines. I have officers out patrolling the areas and this is for no other reason than to keep everyone safe.

As if we haven’t endured enough of Covid, the situation has unfortunately been exploited by unscrupulous fraudsters with fake offers of vaccinations.

The huge increase in reliance on the internet and people’s concerns about their and loved ones’ health, wellbeing and finances have combined to create ideal conditions for fraud.

Over the last year, commonplace Covid-related scams have included fake advertisements for PPE to priority online shopping slots, HMRC monetary grants to travel refund services, and fake NHS Test & Trace messages informing recipients that they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive and need to buy a home testing kit. The most recent scams relate to offers of vaccinations, with scammers persuading people they can jump the queue.

The scams are perpetrated via email, text or telephone call, and either request payment for a vaccination or link to authentic-looking but fake websites which harvest your confidential information. Those who fall for such scams fall victim to financial fraud, identity theft or both.

Remember that Covid-19 vaccines in the UK are available only via the NHS and they will never:

l Charge you for a vaccination;

l Ask you for your bank account or card details;

l Ask you for your PIN or banking password/memorable details;

l Arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine;

l Ask you to prove your identity by sending copies of personal documents such as passport, driving licence, bills or payslips.

If you receive a call you believe to be fraudulent, hang up and if required inform police or the Action Fraud helpline on 0300 123 20 40 or at actionfraud.police.uk

The UK is making fantastic inroads with the vaccination program and we can all see some light at the end of the tunnel. By sticking to the rules, we can all get through this together.