Latest scam alert - Fake texts link to a cloned Post Office website

A new delivery scam impersonating the Post Office is one of the most convincing clone websites ever seen.

Text scams about fraudulent deliveries have been on the rise over the past couple of years, as more people rely on home deliveries. A recent survey from the consumer group Which? found that 61% of the 2000 people they surveyed had received a fake text claiming to be from a delivery company in the past year.

This latest scam targets the Post Office.

What the text will say

The scammers send a text saying that a parcel delivery has failed, asking you to click the link to book a new date or reschedule a delivery. These links take you to one of two websites that have nothing to do with the Post Office.

 In fact, the Post Office doesn’t handle deliveries at all – that’s the job of Royal Mail in the UK.

 The cloned Post Office websites are extremely convincing. You are asked to enter your postcode before being asked for your full name, delivery address, email address, date of birth and mobile number. This information is fed directly to scammers who could use it commit identity fraud. 

 When you enter this information, you’re invited to select a new delivery date and hand over your card details to cover the so-called re-delivery charge of £10. The scammers even tell you that your redelivery request has been ‘processed successfully,’ confirming the new date and asking you to press ‘exit’ – this redirects you to the official Post Office website, making this fake even more plausible. 

The scammers can now attempt to steal money directly from your account with all the information they have taken from you.

What you should do if targeted 

A Post Office spokesperson stated that they take action rapidly against these types of scams, but they admit there could be hundreds of misleading domain names being used at any time for delivery scams like these. The websites often don’t remain active for long, but long enough to trick some people.

 If you think you’ve been scammed, tell your bank and cancel your cards immediately. Then keep a close eye on your bank statements and credit report. You can sign up to Cifas for £25 for two years, which will help to protect you against potential identity fraud. You can also report it to the National Cyber Security Centre.