Fake British Gas utility bills spread computer virus

The National Fraud Reporting Service, Action Fraud, has received ‘hundreds’ of reports about the scam, in which victims receive legitimate-looking emails loaded with malware.

The emails entitled ‘Your summer gas & electricity bill’ direct users to a website where they are asked to download a file in order to view their bill.

After downloading the file, malware infects the computer and directs users to an online payment page.

The emails include the full name of the intended victim and the official British Gas logo. Victims have also reported variations of the email with slightly different subject lines.

British Gas advise that official emails will always include your British Gas account number and only ever direct back to the britishgas.co.uk website.

If you are unlucky enough to have been duped into downloading this virus - don’t pay! Instead, contact Action Fraud for full advice on what to do.