The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has warned consumers about an email scam that suggests it is offering refunds worth nearly $500 for vehicle policy overpayments.

The emails use the ICA letterhead and say refunds “are time limited, please use link below to complete your refund now”.

A “handful” of consumers called ICA about the messages and the emails have been reported to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Scamwatch project, spokesman Campbell Fuller told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“It is a salutary lesson to consumers to be careful about clicking on links inside emails,” he said.

The ICA website shows an image of the fake message and warns consumers the emails are “bogus and should be deleted”.