Royal Mail Scam - Techniques used by scammers

Text messages are a popular way for scammers to reach people. They can be easy to ignore, but sometimes they can catch us off guard. Especially that anyone can spoof a company name in a text! Recently, there has been an uptake in scam texts that appear to be from Royal Mail. They may send you links that lead to a phishing website, designed to steal your personal information.

What is Royal Mail?

For international readers, Royal Mail is a postal service and courier company in the United Kingdom and belongs to Royal Mail Group Ltd.

How to spot a Royal Mail text scam?

During the lockdown and ever since, we've seen an increase in fraudulent contact attempts from Royal Mail that appear to be genuine. Delivery frauds are on the rise once again. There's a lot of texting going around that tries to collect your personal and financial information. They generally include links - but you should never click on them. Always keep in mind that Royal Mail will never request any payment via text message.

If you receive a text message from what appears to be Royal Mail, beware! Here are some of the different types of scams you might come across:

You may receive a message stating that there is a package that needs to be rescheduled and asking you to click on a 'bit.ly' link. This link shortens the actual website address and will most likely direct you to a scam site, which will ask for payment to reschedule the delivery.

Another type of scam message might say that an item is waiting to be collected by you, and provide a link for payment. Clicking on this link will take you to a fake website (#royal-mail.cloud#) where you will be asked to make a payment.

Yet another scam message might reference a Christmas list, and state that there is a parcel ready for delivery. A link is provided to pay the shipping fee of £2.99, but clicking on this link will take you to a fake website where you will be asked to enter your personal and financial information.

What should I do if I get a Royal Mail scam text?

If you receive any type of message from Royal Mail, be sure to check that it is legitimate before clicking on any links or providing any payments. You can do this by checking the sender's email address or phone number, and making sure that it matches up with the official Royal Mail contact information. If you are unsure, you can always contact Royal Mail customer service to ask whether the message is legitimate.

Royal Mail scams saying that an unsuccessful delivery has been attempted or an item is waiting to be shipped.

Royal Mail is warning people not to click on these links and to report any suspicious texts immediately. This is just one example of how scammers are using text messages to attempt to trick people. Here are some other tips to keep you safe from fraudsters:

- Never click on links in text messages, even if they appear to be from a trusted source. If you’re unsure, go to the company’s website directly and find the information there;

- Be suspicious of any texts that create a sense of urgency or require immediate action. Scammers will often try to pressure you into taking action before you have time to think about it;

- Never give out personal information, including your bank account number, address or national insurance number in a text message. No legitimate company will ever ask for this type of sensitive information via text.

By following these simple tips, you can protect yourself from becoming a victim of scams such as this one.

What to do if I have been scammed by fraudsters?

If you receive a strange email, text message, phone call or find a Royal Mail branded website that you believe is fraudulent, please notify them to [email protected].

Forward questionable emails to [email protected] - without clicking on any links or attachments, and then remove them from your inbox.

If you receive suspicious text messages, please send a screenshot of it to [email protected]

If you believe you’ve been scammed, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via actionfraud.police.uk.

Delivery scams are one of the most popular scams in the UK! Do not provide your payment details to anyone even if they are claiming you have an outstanding delivery payment. This kind of techniques are called phishing scams.

You can stop others from being cybercrime victims by reporting scams and suspicious emails. Forward the scam email to [email protected].

To report a spam text, forward the text to 7726 (this is a free government service). An easy way to remember the number is that it spells out 'SPAM' on a telephone keypad.

Use Rightly to stop fraudsters from sharing your data and exposing you to scams. This service is free for Royal Mail customers.

Summary

This article has provided an overview of some techniques used by scammers pretending to be from Royal Mail. If you have been the victim of a scam, or if you suspect that someone is trying to scam you, don't hesitate to report it. By working together, we can all help protect each other from these criminals.