It appears Malta’s scammers are getting creative, as SMS scams plague the country. From COVID-19 passports to LESA court dates, anything that can be used to gather victims’ personal information is being spread around.

This weekend LESA warned against an SMS scam that people have been receiving, telling users that their case has been transferred to court on 8th September. The SMS includes a link to click on, which likely takes users to a website that steals their information.

LESA warned people not to click on any links that don’t come from official channels.

A similar SMS appeared promising users their COVID-19 passport, which also includes a link to a website. To get your official COVID-19 passport, you will not receive an SMS. Instead you can download your certificate at the official government website.

Criminals often use these sorts of scams to lead you to a fake website, where they request your personal information, including credit card details and other details.

They will then use your credit card information to plunder your bank account or your personal details to commit identity fraud.

Scams in Malta are nothing new, as last July scammers pretended to be the Maltese police, telling people they had committed a crime.

The police explained that scammers find telephone numbers online, as they are publicly available. They will then lure victims into clicking a link or pressing a number, which will instantly grant the scammers access to their details.

If you fall victim to one of these scams, notify your bank and inquire about unauthorised transactions. Also report the matter to the police.

Have you received any scam SMSes?