Fraud prevention service Cifas is highlighting the new scams as it warns the public to stay vigilant of the ever-changing methods that scammers are using to extract money and information. Chief intelligence officer Nick Downing said: "Despite the fact that the lockdown is beginning to ease, criminals continue to look for ways to use the Covid pandemic to steal money and information from innocent members of the public. "Don’t be tempted to let your guard down at this time, and always question the legitimacy of unsolicited emails, texts and calls. Stay vigilant and remember that criminals work quickly and regularly change tactics, so the scams you see today most likely won’t be the ones you’ll see tomorrow." Raising awareness of such scams is a key strand of the Yorkshire Evening Post's Stop the Scammers campaign, which aims to educate people on spotting the signs and where support is available if you fall victim to fraud. The latest scams highlighted by Cifas are: Microsoft Covid-19 relief funds A large number of people have reported receiving emails claiming to be from a Senior Director from Microsoft, and claiming that an online email beta test was carried out and the recipient’s email address was selected to receive a payment from the ‘Microsoft Coronavirus Relief Fund’. Recipients are asked to open an attached JPG file to view details and receive further information on how to claim this fund. Fraudsters go to great lengths to make emails look genuine, and so it is important that people never share financial or personal information if they cannot confirm the legitimacy of the sender. Return to work training scams Cifas has learned of a new phishing campaign targeting homeworkers, with fraudsters sending emails to employees offering coronavirus training resources ahead of their return to the workplace. These emails specifically target Office 365 users, and include a link asking recipients to register for the training. Cifas is reminding employees to take a moment to stop and think before responding to requests for personal or financial information, even if they believe it is from their employer. Anyone that has received a suspicious email can report it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service: report@phishing.gov.uk. HMRC phishing texts Taxpayers have reported receiving fake text messages purporting to be from HMRC informing them they are due a tax refund which can be applied for via an official looking website. This spoofed site uses HMRC branding and is headed ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance and support’, and asks users for information including government gateway login credentials before requesting their passport number or national insurance number as ‘verification’. Cifas is advising taxpayers to be suspicious of texts, emails or calls claiming to be from the government offering financial help or tax refunds, and visit GOV.UK to check out how genuine schemes operate. Anyone that believes they have been the victim of a scam should contact their bank or financial service provider immediately and report the fraud to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via the Action Fraud website. Also in crime: Leeds fraud victim lost £36,000 to crooks behind 'daylight robbery' bonds scam A message from the editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. These are challenging times but the team at the Yorkshire Evening Post need your support more than ever in the weeks ahead. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you - wherever possible and providing it is safe for you to do so - to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper. Inevitably falling advertising revenues will start to have an impact on local newspapers and the way we continue to work during this period of uncertainty. So the support of our readers has never been more important as we try to make sure that we keep you connected with the city you live in during this time. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. We need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. Our team of trusted reporters are working incredibly hard behind the scenes - from kitchen tables and spare bedrooms - to look at how we can do this and your continued support to the YEP will help to protect its viability in the days and weeks ahead. For more details on our subscription offers please visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk/YEP, email subscriptions@jpimedia.co.uk or call us on 0330 4033004. Thank you Laura Collins, editor More on this: We're there with you - now your YEP needs your support too