Loose Women: Denise recalls being scammed out of money
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Royal Mail scams seem to have increased as more people rely on online shopping. Scams can be sent via text, email or on social media.
Fake messages will often ask Britons to part with cash or enter personal details.
While these factors may hint at a message being a scam, these are still not always easy to spot.
Fraudulent messages often include convincing branding which is even more confusing for those who are expecting a delivery.
When a message is spotted, many official bodies will offer up warnings to customers.
Birmingham Trading Standards recently shared a warning on its official Twitter page.
A post read: “Beware of this #scam text claiming to be Royal Mail this is not Royal Mail. Don’t click on the link.”
It shared a picture of a text message which appeared to be from Royal Mail.
The fake message said: “Royal Mail: Your package has a £2.99 unpaid shipping fee.”
The text went on to give a link to a website and asked customers to enter payment there.
Shoppers should also be wary of messages which ask for payment or ask them to click on links.
The Trading Standards warning stated those who may receive the message should not click on such links.
Royal Mail has previously stated it only sends text messages to those who specifically opt in to receive them.
It has also listed a number of known scams on its website so customers can check messages they are unsure of.
Above these, the website states: “These are some typical examples of scams that look like they’re sent by Royal Mail, but are in fact fraud or phishing scams.
“Please don’t click on any of the links in these emails and be vigilant if you receive a communication which you aren’t sure about.”
Royal Mail also encouraged customers to report any scams they are targeted by.
The website continues: “If you receive a suspicious email, text message, telephone call or discover a Royal Mail branded website which you think is fraudulent, please report it to [email protected].
“For suspicious emails, forward the email to [email protected], do not click on any links or attachments and then delete it from your inbox.
“For suspicious text messages, please send us a screenshot of the message to [email protected].
“For suspicious calls or websites, please include the phone number or website address in the body of the email.
“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.”
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