Scams to watch out for this year

PARCEL DELIVERY SCAMS Emails and texts purporting to be from Royal Mail, DPD, Evri and other delivery companies will typically claim to have attempted delivery, and include a link directing you to a site where your payment details are captured. Never click these links. E-GREETINGS WITH A GIFT Scams involving gift cards are increasingly popular at this time of year. Marketing surveys sent via email promise gift cards of up to £100 for high-street shops like Primark, but these are often phishing scams designed to extract personal and payment details.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Vouchers for the big supermarkets circulate on email and social media around Christmas, enticing people to click a link to claim their festive food shop for less. Never click the link – if a supermarket is offering a deal, it will usually be found on the official website or app. COST-OF-LIVING CON Look out for texts and emails asking receivers to supply bank details in order to claim the government’s one-off £400 cost-of-living payment. If you receive any correspondence asking for this, ignore it. The payment will be made automatically by your energy provider. ✱ Report fraud at actionfraud.police. uk or telephone 0300 123 2040