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Police are warning shoppers to be careful of circulating scam messages that claim to be from Royal Mail or DPD.
Several scam texts and emails have been circulated with the intention of tricking customers across the country, leading to one police force issuing a warning.
As seen by the Mirror, the message claims the couriers have made an unsuccessful attempt to deliver a parcel.
A link is attached to the message asking you to reschedule the delivery.
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The link directs you to an authentic-looking website, which asks for your full name, address, date of birth and mobile number.
If you complete the form, you’ll then be prompted to enter your credit card details, which the scammers can then use to drain your bank account.
Detective Inspector Rob Buns, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit, said: “This scam is very convincing with Christmas a few weeks away and many people are shopping online and waiting for their orders to be delivered.
“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 to 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.
“Please help us to raise awareness by talking about this with your friends and family, especially if they are vulnerable or elderly.”
The Mirror’s Shivali Best received the scam email, which was pretty convincing.
If you receive the fake text or email, we would advise deleting it immediately.
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Ray Walsh, Digital Privacy Expert at ProPrivacy, advised: “Anybody in the UK that receives a text message purporting to be from a delivery service must remember that it could be a scam and that they should never follow any links contained in SMS messages or provide their information to the sender.
“If you are expecting a parcel and have not received it yet, contact the retailer or delivery service directly to rectify it and ignore any incoming messages that attempt to make you part with personal information.
“Scammers use cleverly worded messages that employ urgency to trick their victims, so if you get a text message that tells you to act quickly to secure your parcel it is vital not to panic or you could end up having your data stolen.”
