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With Christmas just around the corner, many Britons will be getting ready to post packages and letters. Those who have used Royal Mail recently should be wary of a scam email.
The message asked the resident to pay a fee of £1.99 in order to redeliver the item.
They were then encouraged to enter bank details online to complete the transaction.
The style of the email and the low fee made the resident believe it could be a legitimate charge.
However, they contacted the relevant fraud departments before paying it.
DON’T MISS
The email was sent to a homeowner in the Buckinghamshire area and customers across the UK have been urged to be careful.
Digital privacy expert at ProPrivacy Ray Walsh said: “Anybody who receives an email claiming to be from the Royal Mail must remember that they will not ever be asked to pay a redelivery fee.
“Never input your bank or card information after following a link on any emails that claims it is from the Royal Mail, because it will result in your card details being stolen by criminals.
“If you have reason to believe that you may have been tricked, it is essential that you contact your bank and cancel your card at once, additionally check your statements for any signs of unauthorised transactions.”
“Fraudsters often use subjects or greetings that are impersonal and general, like ‘Attention Royal Mail Customer’,” the statement continued.
“They may use a forged email address in the ‘from’ field like ‘delivery@royalmail.com’. They may even use the Royal Mail logo. None of this guarantees the email has come from us.
“The sender, subject and content may change slightly but often they:
- State there’s a parcel waiting to be collected
- Ask for payment before an item can be released for delivery
- Prompts you to open a link or document
- Asks you to send a text message or call a phone premium rate phone number.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson added: “Royal Mail Group takes a serious approach to scam mail and understands the upset that it can cause households across the country, including vulnerable people.
“We urge any members of the public who believe they or a family member is receiving scam mail can report it to our dedicated helpline on scam.mail@royalmail.com, or 0800 0113466. Alternatively, they can contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit their website and use their online reporting tool.”
