Related Articles
Victims are sent a message asking them to click a link to pay delivery fees for a package that they have missed. Once clicking the link, they are directed to a highly convincing Royal Mail website to put in their bank details to pay their debt.
During lockdown, former guide dog trainer Zia Clayton, 47 said using home delivery services “had been an absolute lifeline”.
Zia has cerebral palsy and said home delivery is a “very important part of my life at the moment because of my disability.”
On average, she used to receive about two deliveries a week.
On Rip Off Britain, viewers saw Zia lose over £15,000, money she wanted to use for a house deposit.
READ MORE: ‘Stop and think’ NatWest urges customers to beware common mobile text scam
When Zia received a text from someone who appeared to be Royal Mail asking her to pay an outstanding £1.99 parcel delivery charge, she thought nothing of it.
She clicked on the link supplied.Thinking it was the best course of action, she clicked on the link supplied.
She explained: “It looked like the Royal Mail, it looked exactly legit.”
Zia was asked to enter her personal details and bank details.
She then received a call which purported to be from her bank’s fraud team, asking her to transfer money to a safer account because there had been suspicious activity on her own.
DON’T MISS
“The lessons that I learned was to be very cautious with text messages and phone numbers that you don’t know.
“Just be extra careful.”
Luckily Zia had £15,029 refunded to her, however her banks could not reward her the full amount as they believed she did not take the necessary steps to protect herself, however they did apologise and admit they should have questioned the transactions as they were out of character for her.
Katherine Hart, lead officer at the Chartered Trading Standards said that this scam has reached “epic proportions”, however there are ways for people to protect themselves.
She said: “Don’t click on the links, and then go and have a look at the official websites or ring an official number and clarify.
“All the legitimate agencies will be glad to hear from you because nobody wants there branding to be used by these criminals.”
The episode aired in May 2021, but as scammers continue to target victims, the warning remains relevant today.
