Fraud & Scams 2 - Text Messages
Topic outline
-
Delivery ScamsYou will receive a text, apologising for missing a delivery, you are invited to click on a link to re-arrange at a convenient time. The link will take you to a web page that will look like the actual companies web page but it will be a very good duplicate, they will ask for your personal details and then due to the inconvenience a small re-delivery fee – Never give any details.See Image with some clues as to why its a scam text.
Note the +44 prefix & not the company name.
You are asked to click on a link. Note Hermes actual address is myhermes.co.uk also see that they use “https” to make things look safe.
Request for an unpaid fee.
A text from the Royal Mail : Your package is held at a depot. If you follow the link to re-arrange delivery you will be asked for a fee.Similar texts from other companies also get sent out, some of them mentioning Custom fees required due to Brexit (which can be true for real deliveries).
See Image with some clues as to a real text and a scam text.Note the +44 prefix & not the company name.
The use of Post office & not Royal Mail
HMRC / N.I. ScamsYou may also receive a text or e-mail with similar content but they will ask you to click on a link to fill out your personal details online. This will be a false website do not go there, not only will it look to gather information about you it could lead to you inadvertently downloading a malicious virus that could scan your computer for personal data, or indeed create a link with which they could monitor you.
See typical text you may receive supposedly from HMRC, note the contact
Number at the top starting with “+44”, not HMRC or GOV.UK, also within the text body It uses “ukgov.com” not “GOV.UK”.
Please go back to the top of the section and use the arrows at the side of the section to move to the next section.