Police are warning the public about a scam email claiming to be from the International Criminal Police Organisation - Interpol.

The scam comes in the form of a summons for a judicial inquiry and originates from what looks like a local police email address.

The email is written in Maltese and claims to be from Interpol’s Minor Commander of the Brigade for the Protection of Minors.

It says that following a complaint lodged against the individual, Interpol wants to investigate the recipients of the email. They are requested to contact a lieutenant at a specific email address.

The email also includes an attachment, in English. It claims that “following a computer seizure via cyber-infiltration (authorised in particular for child pornography, paedophilia, cyberpornography, exhibitionism, sex trafficking, since 2014) we inform you that you are subject to several legal proceedings according to the Penal Code in force in the context of Cybercrime".

The summons also asks the reader to send an email.

An expert in cyber security said that once a person sends the email, they may then be asked for more information which may include bank details or passwords.

Users can also be asked to click on a link or download a file that can lead to a computer virus or to them granting remote access to cyber criminals.

The expert explained that these scams feed on the sense of urgency – in this case, caused by the fear of being prosecuted over child pornography which no one wants to be associated with.

He assured that Interpol would never contact a person under investigated through an email.