A new warning about a Royal Mail scam has been issued by Trading Standards.
The scam sees fraudsters attempting to steal bank details by sending a fake text message.
This has led to many accounts of victims – including one graduate who lost thousands.
Trading Standards said the scam is still ongoing.
One of their Twitter accounts said: “Beware of this #scam text pretending to be Royal Mail, it’s not Royal Mail. Don’t click on the link.”
The scam is a text message, claiming to be from Royal Mail.
It tells recipients: “Royal Mail: Your package has an unpaid shipping charge of £ 2.99.”
It then prompts recipients to click on a link, with a “pay this NOW please visit” appearing at the end of the message.
But Royal Mail has confirmed that the link will take you to a broken site.
The website can then be used by crooks to get your contact details.
Beware of this #confirm text claiming to be Royal Mail it is not Royal Mail. Do not click on the link. #ScamAware #BrumTS @Courrier Royal@RoyalMailHelp@BhamCityCouncil pic.twitter.com/NdmwkWosyW
– Business standards (@bhamts) April 22, 2021
Royal Mail Tips:
How to spot a fake email
Check up. Scammers often use impersonal and general topics or greetings, such as “Attention the Royal Mail Customer”.
They may use a spoofed email address in the “from” field like “delivery@royalmail.com”.
They can even use the Royal Mail logo.
The sender, subject, and content may change slightly, but often they:
- indicate that there is a package awaiting collection
- request payment before an item can be released for delivery
- prompts you to open a link or document
- asks you to send an SMS or call a premium rate phone number
Protect your information
Never send sensitive, personal information, security details or credit card numbers via email
Never click on a link in an email if you are not sure, especially if it asks for personal financial information, it could attempt to install malware on your computer.
Make sure you have a spam filter on your email account
Report potential scams
If you receive a suspicious email or discover a Royal Mail branded website that you believe to be fraudulent, let us know by filling out an online form.
If you’ve been the victim of a payment scam, you can get a crime reference number by reporting it to your local police station.
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-04-24 03:00:00