The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has warned the public to stay vigilant and watch out for spam emails informing recipients about a cancer diagnosis. The health watchdog is currently investigating the source of the malicious messages, it said on its website.
The messages, already received by thousands of people, are sent from no_reply@nice.org.uk or results@nice.org.uk, but according to the Institute these email addresses do not exist. The subject line of the email states “Important blood analysis result” or “Blood test results”. The content of the messages is upsetting for recipients, causing NICE to report the issue to Action Fraud – the country’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre.
It is still unclear how many people have received such emails but based on the complaints received it is believed that the number of people affected may be in the thousands.
Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, stated the messages may cause distress to recipients as the email says test results indicate they have cancer. The hoax is currently under investigation and the Institute is taking the problem very seriously, he added.
NICE advises people not to open the emails, not to click on any links, nor forward the email to NICE – recipients should simply delete the message.
The Institute also reminded people that it does not process blood results, nor collect or keep personal health information.
NICE said that on receipt of a spam email or computer virus, users should report it to Action Fraud via its online fraud reporting tool.