As fraud victims are targeted by a “really sneaky trick,” the Royal Mail has issued a text scam alert. » Brinkwire

As fraud victims are targeted by a “really sneaky trick,” the Royal Mail has issued a text scam alert.

FRAUDSTERS pretended to be Royal Mail and attempted to steal £4,000 in hard-earned cash through a scam.

Scammers impersonating Royal Mail have been targeting unsuspecting shoppers with fake delivery text messages, and Britons are being warned that it is very easy to fall victim to them.

In order to reschedule delivery, these texts ask Britons to pay a fee or provide additional information.

A link is also included in the text that directs customers to a spoof Royal Mail website that asks for personal and financial information.

Lucia Ariano of the Which? Money podcast entered some fictitious information to demonstrate how the scam works.

When people receive one of these scam texts, she explains what they should look out for.

“Connecting to Royal Mail social platforms is also a very sneaky trick,” she added.

People should, however, double-check the URL because it may reveal that it is a scam.

Lucia waited to see what would happen after she entered fake information to see how the scammers would use it.

“I assumed the scammer would try to make a payment, call the number back posing as my bank, or infect the phone I used to fill out the information,” she said.

“However, it appears that the scam is an attempt to collect personal and financial information for later use.

“Fast forward a few weeks, and I began receiving notifications from the bank.

Payment after payment was attempted, with around £4,000 in total being declined by the end.

“The con artist fell for our ruse and surrendered their game.”

Lucia offered additional advice to people who receive a text from Royal Mail and are unsure whether it is a scam.

She advised Britons to double-check the tracking number provided in the text message to ensure that it is the parcel they are expecting.

“No matter what you do, don’t click the link and enter your information,” she warned.

Scams should be reported to Royal Mail at [email protected], with messages forwarded to people’s phone operators at 7726.

If anyone believes they have been a victim of the scam, they should contact their bank right away and report it to Action Fraud.