Monty Don issues warning as he almost falls victim to scam over ‘seemingly Kosher message’

Gardeners' World: Monty Don advises on house plant care

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Enormously popular gardening TV star Monty Don was horrified today when opportunists took advantage of fear over the pandemic to make an illicit profit. The 66-year-old, full name Montagu Denis Wyatt Don OBE, received a message telling him he’d come into contact with Covid – but it turned out to be a scam.

Even worse, the communication came through the NHS app, making it seem more legitimate.

Addressing his followers, he cautioned: “Received a seemingly Kosher message via NHS App saying I had been in contact with positive Covid and need specific PCR Omicron test, asking for details including credit card to pay 3.99 for processing.”

He continued: “This is a scam to get card details so ignore and delete if you get it.”

Followers responded by retweeting the warning and spreading the message across the social media platform.

@titan641 encouraged: “Better still Monty, if you receive a text like this or anything similar, report it to the authorities so they can investigate.”

He posted a link to the ncsc.gov.uk website, which has advice on how to report spam communication.

Meanwhile, Marlene Short had a few words of advice for those receiving the scam through a text message.

“Rather than deleting, report it by forwarding it to 7726 (SPAM),” she urged.

“You will get a text asking for the number you received the text from, no personal details, and will be helping to track and stop fraudsters.”

She added: “This works for texts attempting fraud [but] hopefully there is [also] a way to forward these notifications seemingly from an app.”

@EllenSkylark exclaimed: “So frightening to think they can contact you/try to scam you, via the NHS website.”

@pinkpinkpony replied: “I have heard a few people have had this.

“Just hard to understand what sort of person would stoop so low to profit from covid.”

Controversially, @FreddieScovell added in response to Monty: “Better still, delete the NHS app.”

@Heatherc_c chimed in: “Have had 2 telephone calls from a man claiming to be working for the NHS asking if I had had a booster jab and any reaction to it.

“He then suggested I should have private health insurance in case I became ill following vaccination. Nothing to do with our NHS.”

The post received not just these responses, but almost 700 likes and a stream of retweets over the course of an hour.

Meanwhile, Monty’s other news includes the announcement of a new gardening series this Friday on BBC Two.

The first episode airs at 8pm and is set in a romantic island-side setting in Italy.

He tweeted a teaser of what is to come, writing: “The journey begins in Venice -including some of the secret and hidden gardens behind the magnificent palazzos lining the Grand Canal.”

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