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Fraudsters have been posing as delivery couriers to scam thousands of pounds out of people in Hertfordshire.
There have been at least nine known victims last week within the county who received scam text and email messages appearing to be from couriers like DPD and the Royal Mail, stating they tried to deliver a parcel and asking you to reschedule the delivery.
An attached link leads you to an authentic looking website, which collects your full name, address, date of birth, mobile number and full credit card details.
Some victims had follow-up calls pretending to be from the victim’s bank, where they claimed to be investigating the delivery fraud and there were attempts to take money out – so money needed to be transferred into a ‘safe’ account.
From the nine victims last week, one lost £7,500 and the other £8,973.
It’s possible the scammer can clone the telephone number of the bank, making it harder to determine the legitimacy of the call.
Detective Inspector Rob Burns, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit, said: “This scam is catching a lot of people out, with many expecting parcel deliveries in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The fraudsters are becoming even bolder in recent weeks calling back victims who have given them their details, in an attempt to extract more money from them.
“It’s important to check the details in the messages and make sure it is genuinely related to an item you have ordered. Does the message use your name, rather than an email address? Does it mention the goods or company you have ordered items from? If in doubt do not click the link and contact the vendor directly via their website.
“Remember that a bank will never contact you and ask you to move money to another account. If you are in any doubt end the call or ignore messages of this nature and contact your bank directly, either using a phone number you know is genuine or through their website. Remember to wait at least five minutes before attempting to make the call to ensure you’re not reconnected to the offender. Alternatively, use a different phone or test your landline by phoning a friend or relative first, to ensure you aren’t still unwittingly connected to the offender.
“Please help us to raise awareness by talking about this with your friends and family, especially if they are vulnerable or elderly.”
If you believe you were a victim of the cam, report to actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040, alternatively report online through herts.police.uk/report.
