North-east Police issue a warning over another Royal Mail fake text scam

North East Division Crime Reduction Officer PC Mark Irvine has called on locals to be aware of another scam which has been detected in the area.

He warned: “As part of the scam, criminals are pretending to be the Royal Mail and telling innocent individuals that there is a parcel waiting for them which they must pick up.

“However, the text asks those who receive it to pay a settlement fee to avoid their package being sent back.

“We are reminding everyone to look out for such scams as anyone with a mobile phone could be a target.”

In the text, the scammer says: “Royal Mail: Your parcel is awaiting delivery.

“Please pay the £– settlement fee to avoid your parcel being returned to sender.”

The scam text also includes a link which sends those who receive it to a fake Royal Mail page that asks for their personal information and banking details.

Although the text and website may look real, it is a convincing scam which is tricking individuals into giving away their personal information.

The first step of the scam is to invite you to enter your postcode before asking for your full name, delivery address, email address, date of birth and mobile number.

This information is fed directly to scammers who could use it commit identity fraud.

Cleverly, the scammers even tell you that your redelivery request has been ‘processed successfully,’ confirming the new date and asking you to press ‘exit’ – this redirects you to the official Post Office website, making this fake even more plausible.

The scammers can now attempt to steal money directly from your account.

If you receive a suspicious message via email, website or text message, you can take the following actions:

Email – if you feel unsure about an email you have received, you can forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Services at report@phishing.gov.uk

Website – If you have come across a website which you think is fake, you can report it here – https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/about-this-website/report-scam-website

Text message – Report suspicious text messages for free to 7726.

Your provider can investigate the text and take action if found to be fraudulent.