COMMUNITIES and businesses are being urged to beware of an email claiming to come from the police prestigious E-watch service.

GMP Saddleworth and Lees Neighbourhood policing team say a spam email, sent from an unknown party, entitled "E Watch" asks readers to click on a link.But police are urging users not click on any links and report the email as spam.

Their warning says: “We have just been alerted to this by one of our users.

“Until we can clarify where this has originated, we would ask that any emails sitting in your inbox stating they are E-watch updates are deleted without opening.

“If you have opened an email it may ask you for your password - please just delete this email.”

The police send a regular monthly feed of updates on crime and investigations to key communities and businesses in Saddleworth. It is always supplied from an email address as an attached document to be opened by the recipient and ends @gmp.police.uk

A spokesman for GMP’s Saddleworth and Lees Neighbourhood Team said: “We issued the warning on social media after one of our residents received what looks like a Phishing email with a link to log back into your emails.

“This was on a Yahoo account so don't know if any other platforms are effected.

“We are checking to see if there is any risk to users but would keep to our message that anything that is other than the usual document attached to an email should not be clicked and followed.”