Royal Mail has issued the latest in a spate of warnings about fake emails, texts and social media messages. The scam takes many forms, but often asks for a small payment to pay for an undelivered item. Once the receiver enters their details into the link provided, fraudsters then take money from their account, sometimes emptying it. This scam is similar to the HMRC tax refund scam which has also been circulating recently.
The Royal Mail brand – as the name implies – is a service people should be able to trust. But the problem is that the fake messages are very convincing. Mabel, 24, told Rising East that when she got her email she thought it was genuine because of the use of the logo and the name.
“I normally get quite a lot of stuff delivered to my house from online purchases. It definitely wasn’t something out of the ordinary, but certain things didn’t add up once I clicked on the email. That’s when I went to the Royal Mail website and discovered their alert about the scam. I am just glad I …. didn’t but my personal details in”.
Fortunately, Mabel did not fall for the fraud email, but many will have. “it’s a pandemic in itself,” said Abbie Williams 34, a mother of four. “Scammers robbed me of six hundred pounds before I could blink an eye. As a single mother of four kids, I live hand-to-mouth… I am a key worker, so six hundred pounds taken was a big loss.”
Action Fraud, a cyber crime and online fraud information service, received over 1,700 reports of Royal Mail scam comminications in one week. Royal Mail has issued an advisory to the public on their website telling anyone who comes into contact with any of these emails or texts not to press the link.
They also warn us (1) not to share our personal details online, especially when on social media; (2) to always protect our personal pin at any ATM; (3) to regularly check our bank statements for any irregular activity; (4) to shred any personal unwanted paperwork (utility bills, bank statements etc.) (5) to make sure to have strong and different passwords for any personal accounts we hold and to never write our passwords down; and lastly (5) to stay alert to fake messages that urge you to enter your personal details.
If you or anyone you know has been affected by this, you can report it on the Royal Mail website – https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/303/~/how-to-report-scam-mailand report it to action fraud -https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/.