Fresh warning over Royal Mail delivery payment scam

Fraudsters are jumping on the home shopping bandwagon with yet another scam which uses a Royal Mail branding to claim payment is required for a package to be delivered.

Warnings about Royal Mail delivery scams were first issued as far back as 2015, although many of them have proved to be hoaxes.

In the run-up to Christmas 2020 – and again in February – consumers were told to be on their guard over a new email scam but now Trading Standards have said the fraudsters are using text messages instead and urging consumers not to click on a link that connects to a copycat website.

The text, claiming to be from Royal Mail, claims that “your Royal Mail parcel is awaiting delivery. Please confirm the settlement of 1.99 (GBP) on the following link”.

The message then links to a website mocked up to look like the official Royal Mail site. The page demands personal and payment details, which scammers could lead to ID theft and in the worst case scenario banking fraud.

Royal Mail has stressed it would never send a text message but would post a grey card through customers’ letterboxes instead to inform them that a fee was required and to arrange pick-up from a local sorting office.

Katherine Hart from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute said: “This delivery scam is yet another example of fraudsters attempting to make money out of the unsuspecting public. Due to the lockdowns, many millions of people rely on product deliveries, so scammers have focused their efforts on this theme.

“Also, the public must also be aware that these types of scams may come in many forms, and scammers do not only use Royal Mail branding. Indeed, in January, I commented on a similar scam that used DPD branding.

“These types of scams come in many forms, not just via text but also in emails and through the phone.”