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Alerts have been sent out across the country after a scam involving fake Royal Mail notifications.
Neighbourhood Watch Schemes are warning people to be aware of the scam targeting people expecting letters and parcels in the run-up to Christmas.
The scam involves an email which claims Royal Mail has tried to deliver a parcel – and then asks you to pay £1.99 to arrange redlivery.
The email directs you to an official-looking page where you will be asked to give away your bank details.
According to The Express the style of the email and the low fee makes the scam appear legitimate.
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.”
The Royal Mail has offered further advice for those who think they could be getting tricked.
A statement on its website said: “If you receive a suspicious email or discover a Royal Mail branded website which you think is fraudulent, please let us know by contacting us.
“If you have been the victim of a payment scam, you can get a crime reference number by reporting it to your local police station.”
Customers are urged to check the subject line and email address before responding to a message.
“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.”
