People are being warned to not be fooled by a “sophisticated-looking” Covid-19 vaccine scam.

A Facebook post from Wirral Council this morning warned people of the con in which scammers are sending text messages, supposedly from the NHS, telling people that they are eligible for a vaccine.

The message comes with a link to apply, which then asks people for their payment details in order to book a jab.

The council warned people to not fill out their details, as any request for payment or bank details is a scam.

This is not the first vaccine con to be discovered.

Last month, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that older residents in the New Ferry area of Wirral were being targeted by con artists who ring them with an automated voice telling them they have been selected to receive the Covid-19 vaccine and to press a number to arrange a booking.

It is important to note that this should not reduce people’s confidence in the official vaccine programme which is currently being rolled out on time at GP surgeries and vaccination centres across the country.

Fears that the UK may not be able to secure enough vaccine doses to meet its targets going forward were heightened last night, after the EU said it will tighten vaccine exports following a dispute with AstraZeneca.

However, the UK’s vaccine minister Nadeem Zahawi said the government is confident it will get enough doses to vaccinate 15m people by mid-February.