Related Articles
A warning has been issued after hundreds of people have been targeted by a “genuine-looking” scam.
Action Fraud have issued a warning after more than a thousand people were targeted in a single week by scammers pretending to be from the Royal Mail. The scams are designed to steal personal and financial information.
1,058 People reported receiving emails that seem at first to be from the Royal Mail informing they have missed a delivery and have a parcel waiting for them. The emails contained links which if clicked would take them to a “genuine-looking” Royal Mail website where they are then asked to input their bank card details to pay a “re-delivery fee” for the parcel.
READ MORE:Machete suspect heard ‘shouting about God’ before attacking four people
The person’s personal and financial details are then collected from the information which they enter, leaving them vulnerable to serious fraud or theft.
Action Fraud, the nation’s cyber-crime and fraud reporting agency, called the scam “genuine-looking.” The fake Royal Mail website even contains a phony coronavirus update and is almost an exact replica of the real thing, exempting the elements asking for victims’ card details.
(Image: Action Fraud)
The agency did not issue any advice on how to spot these phony emails. However, they instructed anyone who receives an email they think is suspicious to contact Royal Mail directly using contact details from their official website, not on the website provided in the email.
They can also forward the suspicious email to their dedicated reporting service at report@phishing.gov.uk.
Action Fraud said: “[We] received 1,058 reports in one week about fake emails purporting to be from Royal Mail. The emails claim that the recipient missed a delivery and has a parcel waiting for them.
“The links in the emails lead to genuine-looking Royal Mail websites that are designed to steal personal and financial information.
“If you have any doubts about a message, contact the organisation directly. Don’t use the numbers or address in the message – use the details from their official website.
“Your bank (or any other official source) will never ask you to supply personal information via email.”
READ NEXT:
