Warning on bogus cancer email

Health leaders have urged Derbyshire patients to ignore a malicious email that plays on cancer fears.

The sick message, supposedly from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), warns recipients that they may have cancer and invites them to click links or download attachments to read the details of a blood test result.

Nigel Atkin, manager of Barlborough Medical Practice in North Derbyshire, said on Thursday that he had taken two telephone calls from patients worried by the con email.

Now, NICE has stressed that it is not responsible for the email, called “important blood analysis”, and has urged patients to neither click links nor open attachments as they might infect their computer with viruses.

Dr Ben Milton, chair of NHS North Derbyshire CCG, said: “This is a particularly unpleasant scam as it plays on the recipients’ fears of cancer and is being perpetrated in the name of NICE.”

Sir Andrew Dillon, NICE chief executive, added: “This malicious email is not from us, and we’re currently investigating its origin. We take this matter very seriously and have reported it to the police.”

For updates on the situation, visit www.nice.org.uk.