ESSEX Police are warning people to be vigilant about a phishing scam where drivers could end up paying speeding fines to criminals.

A spokesperson said: “We received a report today, Friday, November 16, from a concerned member of the public who received an email warning them that they had been caught speeding on the M11 between Chelmsford and Harlow.

The email said the motorist had been caught travelling at 113mph on August 11.

When the victim clicked on a link, they were taken to an official looking web page where they are asked to pay the fine.

Fortunately, they became suspicious and reported it.

We understand the URL for that website no longer works but are concerned people may have fallen victim of the scam.

Detective Chief Inspector Lee Morton, head of Kent and Essex’s Serious Economic Crime Unit, said: “These fraudsters are clearly opportunists who are taking a punt that you were driving on a particular road at a particular time and date.

“By using one of the county’s busiest roads, they have increased the chance that someone might be conned into believing their lies and will pay the fine.

“We will always notify people of a traffic offence by writing to the registered keeper of the vehicle involved. There will be clear details for you to follow in that written notice and we would never email or call you.”

We are issuing the following advice:

* We would never notify individuals of a notice of intended prosecution via email and would always write to the registered address;
*Don’t assume that a person who has sent you an email is who they say they are;
* Use a spam filter. If you detect a phishing email, mark the message as spam and delete it. This ensures that the message cannot reach your inbox in future;
* Fraudsters are unlikely to know your real name, so the email may address you in vague terms;
* Phishing emails will probably contain odd details and incorrect spelling in the subject box and could contain spelling or grammatical errors in the email – this is an attempt to get around spam filters and into your inbox.

For more advice about phishing scams visit https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/a-z-of-fraud/phishing.
If you have been a victim or know someone who has been a victim please call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.