New Royal Mail scam alert as people report getting text messages

A new warning has been issued after people reported getting fake text messages from the Royal Mail. Scams that arrive by SMS are also called ‘smishing’ attacks and contain links – but people have been warned never to click on them.

This week homeowners have been getting messages saying there’s a package that needs to be rescheduled and asks you to press on a ‘bit.ly’ link. The link takes you to a scam site asking for payment.

Experts emphasise that the Royal Mail will never ask you to pay anything via a text message. Other known messages include those saying ‘An item is waiting to be collected by you’, ‘A parcel is waiting for delivery. Please confirm the settlement of 2.99 (GBP) via a link.’

If you click on the link on the first screen you’ll see a message suggesting a package was found in transit and there is an outstanding delivery payment to make. There’s a £2.99 shipping fee to collect your package. Clicking on the link takes you to a fake site

A parcel is ready for collection. A link takes you to a fake website (royal-mail.cloud) where you’ll be asked to make a payment

There are also some email versions of the scam – with Sender: Royal Mail Group Ltd, various email addresses may be used including press.office@royalmail.com. The email informs you that your package could not be delivered due to no custom duty being paid.

“We attempted to deliver your package at (for example) 10:50, Sender: RoyalMail Delivery, various email addresses are used. The email informs you that you have missed a package delivery from HMRC Revenue & Customs and gives a link to reschedule the delivery”

There has also been recent reporting of websites pretending to be Royal Mail and selling fake Royal Mail Stamps and Collectables. These websites may offer a discount, but once you’ve given your personal information, the criminals can use this for future scam targeting and the stamps and collectables either don’t exist or are fake. For more information from the Royal Mail on scams click here.

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Reporting potential scams

If you receive a suspicious email, text message, telephone call or discover a Royal Mail branded website which you think is fraudulent, please report it to reportascam@royalmail.com.

• For suspicious emails, forward the email to reportascam@royalmail.com, do not click on any links or attachments and then delete if from your inbox.

• For suspicious text messages, please send us a screenshot of the message to reportascam@royalmail.com.

• For suspicious calls or websites, please include the phone number or website address in the body of the email.

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.

If you have clicked on a link, provided any personal data like your bank account details on a website or over the phone or you’re concerned that you’ve been compromised, you should also report the scam to Action FraudOpens in a new window, the national fraud reporting centre. Please note: Police Scotland (via the 101 telephone service) must be contacted for scams in or from Scotland.

To report a spam text forward the text to 7726.

You may get an automated response thanking you for the report and giving you further instructions if needed. You will not be charged for sending texts to 7726.

An easy way to remember ‘7726′ is that they are the numbers on your telephone keypad that spell out the word ‘SPAM’. Visit Ofcom for more information.