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There are new scams you need to be aware of as criminals attempt to dupe unsuspecting people into handing over money and personal information.
The UK’s leading fraud prevention service has shared details on the latest scams involving Royal Mail deliveries and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
According to the Daily Record, Sally Felton, director of intelligence and member experience for Cifas, said: “Criminals are always on the lookout for the latest vulnerabilities in day-to-day life to take advantage of.
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“With the nation back into lockdown, we can be confident they’ll continue to look for new and innovative ways to attempt to steal our personal and financial information – especially with an increasing number of us shopping and transacting online.
“People need to remain vigilant against these scams and think carefully when responding to any requests by email, text or phone. Never click on links provided in emails or texts, or give your personal or financial details to anyone over the phone or on your doorstep – no matter how legitimate the caller appears.”
Here’s what you need to look out for:
Incomplete Royal Mail delivery scam
Criminals took note how, due to coronavirus restrictions, many people opted to send their gifts instead.
There have been a number of reports of scam emails and texts purporting to be from Royal Mail notifying recipients of parcels that they were unable to deliver over Christmas, often claiming this was due to an ‘incomplete address’.
These fake messages are redirecting recipients to phishing websites that ask them to enter personal and banking details to pay the fee for a rearranged delivery.
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However, details provided on these websites may be used in future fraudulent conduct, such as identity fraud.
Anyone who receives this or a similar email should carefully inspect the sender’s email address as scam emails will often include an extra letter, number or full stop in an attempt to make the fake email address appear genuine. They should also check with the addressee to ensure they received their parcel, and if possible track the delivery using tracking details provided when the parcel was sent.
If personal and banking details have been provided in response to one of these scam emails, victims should report the case and contact their bank immediately.
DVLA phishing scam
The DVLA has issued a warning of scam messages attempting to trick motorists into handing over personal and banking details.
These scam messages will often claim the driver has overpaid their car tax and is due a refund, or that there has been an issue with payment and they must update their information.
Anybody who has provided details to one of these scam messages should report a case to the police and contact their bank immediately.
Phishing emails can also be forwarded to report@phishing.gov.uk and scam text messages to 7726.
Scammers impersonating Cifas
Cifas has also received reports of scammers emailing victims pretending to be from a Cifas department. In these scam emails, recipients are asked to provide personal details that could be used to facilitate identity fraud and are signed from ‘CIFAS’.
Cifas will never contact consumers out of the blue to ask for personal or banking details, and any communications will be sent from Cifas email accounts. When receiving communications from Cifas, recipients should carefully check the email address for any spelling mistakes and ensure it has come from an official Cifas email address.
Any recipients who may have provided their details to one of these scam emails should contact us using details on our website and report the case to the police. If bank details have also been provided, then victims should alert their bank immediately.
If you believe you have become the victim of a scam then inform your bank immediately and report it to police.
