If you get an unexpected text message from the Post Office this weekend then be warned. A nasty new scam has begun doing the rounds that’s so convincing it’s easy to see how people are being fooled. As spotted by the technology team at Express.co.uk, the con all starts via a text simple message which suggests that the Post Office has tried and failed to deliver a parcel to your home. The text reads, “Post Office: We tried to deliver your parcel but had to reschedule. Continue here to pick a new date.”
This is then followed by a link that takes you to a very slick and professionally built website that looks just like the official Post Office service.
Once opened you then begin the process of trying to find the parcel with the website asking questions such as home address, name and even date of birth. Of course, there is no real parcel being held at the Post Office but, unsurprisingly, the fake website soon reveals that it has found a package with your name on it.
It then asks you to select a redelivery time with real dates appearing via a pop-up window.
Now, here is where things get serious as the next page you’re taken to reveals that a small £2.10 charge is needed to complete the delivery.
That price doesn’t sound unrealistic and it’s easy to see why someone wouldn’t worry too much about paying such a small fee.
However, a form then has to be filled out that requires full card and payment details to be revealed.
If duped, the victim has then handed over everything a scammer needs to make fraudulent payments on their bank account or credit card including home address, date of birth and name.
This is another highly sophisticated scam with the fake website looking so incredibly real that many wouldn’t think anything was wrong until they suddenly notice payments being made via their bank cards.
This isn’t the first time hackers have tried to use the Post Office to fleece consumers with a similar scam being sent out via a text message last July.
The Post Office says that anyone receiving a suspicious email, text message, telephone call or discover a Royal Mail branded website that they think is fraudulent, should report it to reportascam@royalmail.com.
If you have been the victim of a payment scam, you can get a crime reference number by reporting it to your local Police station.
And if you have clicked on a link, provided any personal data like your bank account details on a website or over the phone or you’re concerned that you’ve been compromised, you should also report the scam to Action FraudOpens in a new window, the national fraud reporting centre.
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