In this month’s Which? Magazine, a member was told they needed to pay extra postage for a parcel… until Royal Mail confirmed it was a scam.
A member recently got in touch with us for Scam Watch last month when they received an email which appeared to come from Royal Mail.
The email said they’d need to pay extra postage for a parcel, but when the member followed the link and provided their details they started to feel a little uneasy, so headed to their local Post Office to check with them directly.
Think you’ve given a fraudster your details? Here’s what to do
The Post Office confirmed it was actually a scam, so the member quickly cancelled their credit card, luckily catching it in time before any money was taken.
Royal Mail’s response
I got in touch with Royal Mail, which said it’s aware of the scam, but can’t provide any details on just how widespread it is.
Greetings such as ‘Attention Royal Mail Customer’, accompanied by the Royal Mail logo and even an email address do not guarantee that the email has come from Royal Mail itself.
See all our advice on spotting and reporting scams
Scam emails often say there’s a parcel waiting to be collected and ask for payment before an item can be released for delivery, prompting you to open a link or document or asking you to send a text message or call a premium-rate phone number.
These are all phishing scams designed to trick you out of money or your personal details.
If you do get an email which you think is suspicious, you can always check whether it’s a valid request by contacting Royal Mail’s customer services online, or by calling it on 03457 740 740.
This contribution to Which? Conversation first appeared in the April 2019 edition of Which? Magazine (page 48 – Scam Watch).
Have you encountered this attempted postage/parcel scam? If so, how did you deal with it? If scammers have been in touch with you, please do report it to us below.
Loading ...
