Police warning over ‘very convincing’ Royal Mail and DPD delivery scams this Christmas

Police have issued a warning about scam messages that are doing the rounds at the moment, purporting to be from Royal Mail or DPD.

The scam text messages and emails have been circulating recently, with the aim of tricking shoppers into handing over bank details.

The Mirror has seen messages which claim that a courier has made an unsuccessful attempt to deliver a parcel, with a link attached to reschedule delivery.

This link leads you to an authentic-looking website which requires you to fill out a form with your full name, phone number, address and date of birth.

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However, when you’ve submitted this info you are then asked to enter your credit card details, which scammers will use to empty 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.”

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Digital Privacy Expert at ProPrivacy, Ray Walsh, added: “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.”