Finance expert Martin Lewis has warned Brits about a “twisted” scam which steals people’s details.
The Money Saving Expert claimed that criminals are getting off “scot-free” by pretending to be Royal Mail and charging a delivery fee for parcels.
The message sent to people via SMS reads: "Royal Mail: Your Package Has A £2.99 Shipping Fee, To Pay This Now Please Visit: uk-royal-mail-fees.com action will be taken if you do not pay this fee."
If people click on the link then they are asked to put in their bank details to pay.
Don’t do this!
And, make sure to warn any vulnerable friends, family or neighbours of the scam so that they don’t fall for the trick.
Another scam text message which is similar said: "Your Royal Mail parcel is waiting for delivery.
“Please confirm the settlement of £2.99 (GDP) on the following link."
Again, you should never click on the link and should block the phone number immediately.
Never enter personal details to an unknown number.
Speaking toThe Guardian, Martin said: "The impact of fraud on victims is appalling.
"As well as potentially being life-destroying financially, it has a huge impact on self-esteem and mental health."
He added: "The delivery one, that says pay a £2 or £3 charge, was twisted genius.
"So many people are expecting deliveries now.
"They swear a bit and just pay their delivery, and don't realise they've given away their bank details to a scammer."
An online safety bill is being presented to parliament this week, in the Queens speech, and Martin Lewis commented that he was confused as to why companies like Facebook and Google didn’t vet scam adverts.
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He said: "I just don't get why.
"Why are they not doing it?
“There is an epidemic of scams in the UK.
“It’s been exploding for the past three or four years, and it's been exacerbated due to the pandemic."
Royal Mail has warned customers of the ruse and is aware of the text message one mentioned by Martin.
It clarified that it would never, ever ask for payment through text or email.
You will only be asked to pay extra charges with a Fee To Pay card which is posted through your letter box.
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