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Early result from Scots indyref vote? NAW, Jimmy - it's a SCAM

Anyone claiming to know before tomorrow is telling porkies

Web users have been warned to be wary of fake results messages about the Scottish Independence referendum.

The warning from UK.gov-backed Get Safe Online comes hours after the polling booths opened north in the border in a history-making vote that will determine Scotland's fate.

Unlike a political election, there will not be any exit polls today, so neither the 'Yes' or 'No' camps nor the raft of pundits will be able to predict the result with any more accuracy than when voting began at 7 o'clock this morning.

Clicking on links in messages that claim to reveal the actual or anticipated results any time before this could send to you a hoax website where you will be asked for personal or financial details or be exposed to inappropriate material. Opening attachments in emails could infect your computer or other device with a virus.

Mark James, a security expert at anti-virus firm ESET, pointed out that newsworthy events are consistently exploited as a theme for various web-based scams. This is just as true for Scotland's independence vote as it would be for celebrity deaths, natural disasters or the release of eagerly-awaited computer games, among other hooks.

“Events like these always attract a lot of attention from scammers," James explained. "We should expect to see emails claiming to know the trends of the voting, which will most probably ask you to fill out a quick survey beforehand, or direct you to a potential dodgy site that may include some enticing titbits as an extra when signing up to future 'insider information'."

"In our quest for knowledge we are inexplicably drawn to these places due to the nature of what we are being offered. We are aware it’s not possible for the information being offered to be available but we will still click that link or follow that page, just in case it does actually contain information we need. Whether this is the latest photo or video from a celebrity, or in this case up-to-the-minute news on how Scotland is voting in the polls. There will be emails, Facebook pages (including like-farming) twitter feeds and many other forms of clairvoyant-like trickery," he added.

The only sure way to find out the result of Scotland's independence referendum is to tune into a radio or TV station tomorrow morning. "Sit down with a cup of tea and a bacon (or square sausage) sandwich tomorrow morning and watch [Chief Counting Officer Mary] Pitcaithly announce the historic result," Get Safe Online advised.

Get Safe Online is a jointly funded initiative between several government departments and private sector businesses. It's the UK government’s preferred online security advice channel. ®

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