Action Fraud has received more than 200 reports of coronavirus-themed phishing emails, which trick recipients into opening malicious attachments allowing the theft of their personal information or financial details.

Some of the emails claim to be from a research group mimicking the World Health Organisation (WHO) or US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They claim to provide the victim with a list of active infections in their area if they click on a link to a credential-stealing page.

Other fraudsters are tricking people into clicking on a malicious link to a newsletter with coronavirus updates, sending investment and trading advice on how to take financial advantage of the economic downturn or directing people to a fake HMRC website offering tax refunds.

Other forms of crime linked to coronavirus include reports of burglars posing as NHS workers testing for the illness in order to gain entry to properties. Police have also issued a warning over thieves who offer to do shopping for elderly people confined to their homes, and then keep their money.