Public Health England has urged people to be careful from where they access their information, as fake news about the coronavirus begins to circulate.

The government is advising only trusted sources are used to avoid panic, misinformation and scams after a voice message was circulated about the ambulance service.

Professor Viv Bennett, Chief Nurse at Public Health England said: "We’re aware of a voice message circulating about the ambulance response to coronavirus, as well as restrictions on movement and predicted case numbers, which claims to have come from PHE.

"This is fake news, and we would urge people to ignore the message and not share it further.

"Make sure you get your information from trusted sources.

"This can be accessed at gov.uk/coronavirus or nhs.uk/coronavirus."

Conspiracy theories, false information, and photo-shopped images are also being bandied about online.

And according to Future Mag, a magazine for teenagers, social media giants are struggling to keep-up as they work with the government’s rapid response unit trying to crack down on misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic.

Trying to distinguish fact from fiction however is increasingly difficult, especially when inaccuracies have been repeated online and on social media by different people the world over.

Editor of Future Mag, Ruth Sparkes, says there's a few ways we can spot when we're being fed fake news.

She said: "Look at the publication or site and look at its other stories – consider whether there is any other possible dodgy content.

"Sometimes a story from years ago can be re-used to give the impression of ‘new’ news.

"Look closer and check whether the story has been published on other credible sites.

"And check what’s underneath the headline. Some publications and websites use ‘click-bait’ headlines as a way to encourage you to ‘click’ on the story.

"Sometimes the actual story bears no resemblance to its headline.

"Also, research the author - if the article has a writer’s byline – Google them or checkout their social media accounts to see what other articles they’ve written, and to work out whether they might have a hidden agenda or a particular line to push.

"And lastly, check the facts - there are some great fact-checking websites such as: fullfact.org and snopes.com/fact-check/ to use when you’re really not sure about a story."