Brits are being urged to watch out for a new Royal Mail scam where fraudsters try to steal your personal information.
The con involves scammers texting people, claiming they’ve had a parcel returned to a Post Office branch or Royal Mail depot - but this message isn’t legitimate.
The text contains a link to a fake website that looks exactly like an official Post Office platform.
It then asks the victim to enter their personal details - including full name, address, date of birth and phone number - supposedly to identify their closest depot and reorganise the delivery.
But in reality, this is sent directly to the scammers, who might use this information to commit identity fraud or gain access to your bank accounts.
One of the scam messages says: "Your parcel was returned to our depot after a failed delivery attempt. Your redelivery can be arranged here."
Have you been a victim of this scam? Get in touch: Mirror.Money.Saving@mirror.co.uk
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) says it’s aware of one person who lost £80,000 after entering their details into the bogus Post Office website.
Fraudsters were able to pass their bank's security checks by using the personal information the victim provided online.
In one example of the fake text, it reads: "POST OFFICE: Your parcel was returned to our depot after a failed delivery attempt.
"Your redelivery can be arranged via: Link."
These Post Office scam messages come after a series of related delivery frauds which use Royal Mail, DPD, Hermes and other delivery company branding.
CTSI is raising awareness of this scam during Scams Awareness Fortnight, an annual public information campaign led by Citizens Advice.
CTSI lead officer, Katherine Hart, said: "This Post Office scam is far more insidious than a similar scam which involved Royal Mail.
“While the Royal Mail scam explicitly asks for a payment to reorganise a delivery, at no point does this happen in this Post Office version making the communication less suspect and potentially more likely to be successful.
“Scammers could use the information to gain access to bank accounts and other important personal accounts.”
How to report fraud and scams
If you've fallen victim to a scam, report it to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040.
Its phone lines are open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm.
Or if you live in Scotland, contact Police Scotland.
You should also tell your bank immediately - the sooner you tell them, the more chance they have of stopping the fraudster in their tracks.
Finally, report fraudsters to the platform they used to contact you.
