Trading Standards Alert - Royal Mail Scam (December 2020)

Please be aware of a suspicious email which homeowners have been sent.

With Christmas just around the corner, many people will be getting ready to post packages and letters. Those who have used Royal Mail recently should be wary of a scam email.

The message asked the resident to pay a fee of £1.99 in order to redeliver the item.

They were then encouraged to enter bank details online to complete the transaction.

The style of the email and the low fee made the resident believe it could be a legitimate charge

Anybody who receives an email claiming to be from the Royal Mail must remember that they will not ever be asked to pay a redelivery fee.

Never input your bank or card information after following a link on any emails that claims it is from the Royal Mail, because it will result in your card details being stolen by criminals.

Fraudsters often use subjects or greetings that are impersonal and general, like 'Attention Royal Mail Customer'

They may use a forged email address in the 'from' field like 'delivery@royalmail.com'.

They may even use the Royal Mail logo. None of this guarantees the email has come from them.

The sender, subject and content may change slightly but often they:

• State there’s a parcel waiting to be collected
• Ask for payment before an item can be released for delivery
• Prompts you to open a link or document
• Asks you to send a text message or call a phone premium rate phone number.

Criminals are experts at impersonation and they are constantly getting better at creating fake emails and texts that look like the real thing.

If you have received an email which you are not quite sure about, forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS): report@phishing.gov.uk. If it turns out to be malicious, your report will help other people from falling victim to it.

For more simple tips on how to protect yourself online, visit: www.actionfraud.police.uk/cybercrime or www.met.police.uk/littlemedia

• NEVER open attachments or links in unsolicited emails
• NEVER give out personal information
• DELETE spam emails from your mailbox

Scammers want your name, date of birth & current or previous address to commit identity theft. With it they can:

• Open bank accounts
• Obtain credit cards/loans & benefits
• Order goods / mobile phone contracts
• Take over existing accounts
• Obtain a passport & driving license