Royal Mail warns customers to watch out for dangerous delivery scam
Royal Mail has warned customers to watch out for a dangerous scam currently in circulation.
The national post delivery service and Neighbourhood Watch Schemes have come forward to urge people to be vigilant against scammers who are targeting people expecting letters and parcels.
People have reported receiving emails from Royal Mail claiming that they have attempted delivery of a package or letter, requesting that you re-arrange your delivery time.
The fake website then asks you to hand over a £1.99 delivery fee - and in doing so you could be scammed out of thousands of pounds once fraudsters have their hands on your bank details.
It's easy to fall for these sorts of tricks because the pretend websites appear to be official and legitimate, but it's important to stay vigilant.
It's been confirmed that Royal Mail will never ask you to pay for redelivery.
Digital privacy expert at ProPrivacy Ray Walsh said, "Anybody who receives an email claiming to be from the Royal Mail must remember that they will not ever be asked to pay a redelivery fee.
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"Never input your bank or card information after following a link on any emails that claims it is from the Royal Mail, because it will result in your card details being stolen by criminals.
"If you have reason to believe that you may have been tricked, it is essential that you contact your bank and cancel your card at once, additionally check your statements for any signs of unauthorised transactions."
Meanwhile, Royal Mail has released an official statement, giving people signs to look out for if they are worried about falling for a scam.
It says, "If you receive a suspicious email or discover a Royal Mail branded website which you think is fraudulent, please let us know by contacting us.
"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.
"Fraudsters often use subjects or greetings that are impersonal and general, like 'Attention Royal Mail Customer'
"They may use a forged email address in the 'from' field like 'delivery@royalmail.com'. They may even use the Royal Mail logo. None of this guarantees the email has come from us."
Caitlin is a Junior News Editor for Goodto.com, covering all things royal, celeb, lifestyle, food, and family. Having set her sights on becoming a magazine journalist when she was a child, Caitlin took on work experience stints at local papers and titles such as Cosmopolitan, Now, Reveal and Take a Break while studying for her Multimedia Journalism degree and has interviews with celebs, reality stars and the Archbishop of Canterbury under her belt (of course, she couldn't resist asking him about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry).
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