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An urgent alert has been sent out to Amazon and Royal Mail customers about up to four scams circulating as the festive season draws near. Customers are being forewarned about an increase in fraudulent activities as December 25 approaches.
Rob Lilley-Jones, Which? consumer specialist, warned: “With so many parcels expected over the Christmas period, your chance of falling for a delivery scam is particularly high. Scammers will exploit shoppers who are expecting deliveries by impersonating well-known delivery brands.”
He pointed out: “The messages usually claim you’ve missed a delivery, aiming to pressure you into clicking a link included in the message. If you’ve lost money after following a link sent to you in a fake text, contact your bank as soon as possible.”
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Among the deceptions singled out by Which? reports Birmingham Live. is the ‘outstanding fee’ con. Sarah Coles from Hargreaves Lansdown and head of personal finance noted: “This has become an incredibly common scam, where the fraudsters text or email to say there’s a parcel for you, but there’s an outstanding postal fee to pay in order to get hold of it. This is just a way of getting hold of your payment information.
The warnings extend to other frauds such as bungled deliveries and unexpected packages. Sarah added: “They’ll often include a QR code and ask you to scan it if there are any issues with delivery. You scan it and input your information, and they have what they need.”
A fourth scam, known as the ‘stolen parcel’ con, was highlighted by Sarah, who said: “If it’s left somewhere you agreed and it disappears, you have the right to a replacement. In all cases, this is the seller’s responsibility, so don’t let them blame the courier.”
For websites that may be shady, Sarah suggests taking action: “Report it to the National Cyber Security Centre via www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/about-this-website/report-scam-website.”
Additionally, she recommends contacting your provider and reporting the matter to Action Fraud to obtain a crime reference number. For online reports, visit actionfraud.police.uk, or call 0300 123 2040 for assistance.
