Royal Mail and DPD customers warned of delivery text scam

2 December 2020, 14:56 | Updated: 2 December 2020, 15:02

The public have been warned about a new scam circulating over text (stock images). Picture: PA/Getty

The public have been urged to watch out for scam texts and emails appearing to be from Royal Mail and DPD.

Royal Mail and DPD customers have been warned of a new scam that targets people via text and email.

According to a report by the Mirror, scammers have been attempting to get people's personal and credit card details after them to click on a link to reschedule their delivery.

The link takes you to an authentic-looking website, before asking you to enter your name, address, date of birth and phone number.

It will then ask for your bank account details.

Scammers have been pretending to be from Royal Mail in the new scam. Picture: PA

Detective Inspector Rob Buns, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit, said, according to the report: "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."

If you do receive the text, you are advised to delete it immediately (stock image). Picture: Getty

And Ray Walsh, Digital Privacy Expert at ProPrivacy, 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."

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