The AA has issued a warning to consumers about a phishing scam email that informs them that they have won an emergency car kit.

The warning comes as a small number of phishing emails began circulating last week.

However, more fake emails were sent as the week progressed which prompted the AA to take several steps to safeguard their customers and all consumers too.

As part of those steps, the AA is working with the police to raise awareness of the scam.

The motoring experts have explained that they are continuing to maintain strong security policies and systems.

The AA has also introduced its so-called Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI).

Consumers will be able to see adverts through their email accounts and know they are real adverts. 

Additionally, the AA’s IT security team regularly reports fake websites which pretend to be the real thing, and provides advice to consumers on how to keep their data safe online: Security and fraud | The AA.

“Our job is to help keep your show on the road” says AA’s Chief Information Security Officer ( AA)“Our job is to help keep your show on the road” says AA’s Chief Information Security Officer (AA) (Image: AA)

Darren Desmond, the AA’s chief information security officer, said: “The saying goes ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’, but in this case it’s an awful impression.

“Our job is to help keep your show on the road, which is why we want to spread the message and help customers spot this shocking scam.

Recommended reading

"We continue to invest in the best security systems to safeguard our customers and their data, which is why most emails pretending to be from us will end up in your spam folder. Emails from us will have the domain name ‘theaa.com’.

“We urge people to report every scam email they receive, but if they accidently open one then running antivirus software on their device, patching operating systems and applications, and Using Multi Factor Authentication (or MFA as it’s widely known), typically through an app, are great ways to reduce the risk.

"If personal or financial details have been compromised, then people should contact the police or report via the Action Fraud Police website.”