Scammers have been impersonating business in the Isle of Man, an official regulator has reported.

In its bi-monthly update, the Office for Cyber Security and Information Assurance revealed that the most reported form of cyber threat was text scams.

It also revealed other scams that have recently been uncovered.

There were two near identical reports from outside the Isle of Man involving a local corporate service provider (CSP) that was being impersonated.

The threat update said: ‘The reported scam involved the reporter having posted a property on a local listings website.

‘They were then contacted by someone claiming to be from an Isle of Man-based CSP, providing a name and passport number of a real individual working for the CSP. The email originated from [email protected].

‘The scammer then also provided details of a husband as well as another passport number.

‘From this, the scammers asked for an advance on various expenses, such as insurance and taxes, which would have been returned with the final payment.

‘In one report it appears forged documents were created in order to make it appear that the money for the property had actually been transferred.’

The individual who was impersonated could be found on the company’s website, which included their name, photo and a short bio.

The threat update added: ‘We consistently see examples where information has been used from LinkedIn or a company website to facilitate a scam.

‘Whilst from a marketing perspective, it may appear beneficial to provide information about your team, it may also lead to this information being used in a way that causes reputational damage to the business or the individual.

‘OCSIA recommends that consideration is given to ensuring that employee photographs, names and email addresses are provided on a company website only when this is required.’

Another scam in the period was a fake driving test booking website.

OCSIA said: ‘During the period, we were alerted to a fraudulent website, www.bookyourbritishislesdrivingtest.com, which claimed to be able to manage and book driving tests for the whole of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

‘In the island, the Department of Infrastructure were made aware of the website when a would-be student turned up for their test, only to find no record of the booking.

The website does state the following, albeit on the more hidden pages: ‘No. We’re not affiliated with any Guernsey, Isle of Man or Jersey government agencies or any of their websites, but that does not make us a scam.

‘You’re charged an admin fee to cover our staff costs and the process of booking a theory test or practical exam on your behalf’

OCSIA said: ‘This is similar to other websites which act as intermediaries to administer tests, visa applications, etc.

‘Overcharging for what is typically a simple online process. However, these websites do typically deliver on the promised service that the reported website does not.

The full report is on OCSIA’s website.