Surge in Royal Mail delivery scams

What’s the threat?

There’s been a sharp rise in the number of scam messages, both text and email, claiming to be from Royal Mail, as fraudsters exploit the popularity of online shopping during the latest lockdown.

Most of the scams claim your package couldn’t be delivered and ask you to click or tap a link to reschedule, though some say the delivery was delayed and provide you with a link for tracking it. The specific wording of these scams varies widely, so Royal Mail has listed 17 examples on its site ( www.snipca. com/37655).

Some of the scams say that you need to pay customs duties before delivery can be arranged, while others claim the package is from ‘HM Revenue & Customs’ (see screenshot), or that the item was sent to the wrong address. The authentic Royal Mail logos make them look legitimate, and they appear to come from real addresses such as ‘delivery@royalmail.com’.

They also contain what look like genuine details, including a reference number, the date and time of attempted delivery, and the amount owed.

How can you stay safe?

First, never assume that a message claiming to be from Royal Mail is genuine. Fraudsters will continue targeting the service long after lockdown ends, particularly given its plans to trial Sunday deliveries (see page 8). Also be suspicious if any message begins on an impersonal note, such as ‘Attention Royal Mail Customer’, rather than using your name.

For further protection, bookmark this web page ( www.snipca.com/37658), where Royal Mail lists things it will never do. For example, “under no circumstances” will it ask for account details, passwords, payment details or any other personal information by email. Nor will it ever ask you to enter information on a page that isn’t part of the Royal Mail website.

www.snipca.com/37677

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