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Postal scam email is a hoax
A chain email warning people about a postal scam that could leave you £315 out of pocket is a fake and was not issued by Royal Mail or Trading Standards, Crimestoppers has warned.
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A chain email warning people about a postal scam that could leave you £315 out of pocket is a hoax, Crimestoppers has warned.
The email (see below) was forwarded to a Citywire employee yesterday:
FYI!
Can you circulate this around especially as Xmas is fast approaching - it has been confirmed by Royal Mail. The Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam:
A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a Premium rate number).
DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize. If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £315 for the phone call.
If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 020 7239 6655.
For more information, see the Crime Stoppers website: http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/crime-prevention/helping-prevent-crime/scams/postal-delivery-scam
However, despite claims the scam has been confirmed by Royal Mail and the Trading Standards Office, it was in fact shut down in 2005 and is not reoccurring today.
A spokesperson for PhonepayPlus, which regulates phone-paid services in the UK, said: ‘The chain email refers to a service (operating on 0906 6611911) that was shut down by PhonepayPlus (then ICSTIS) in December 2005. PhonepayPlus subsequently fined the company that was operating the service, Studio Telecom (based in Belize), £10,000’.
The regulator is asking people who receive the chain email about this alleged scam not to forward it on to others, and to instead forward a statement from PhonepayPlus informing them it is a hoax.
'A real problem with emailed warnings such as this is that they often continue to circulate for months or even years after the described threat has disappeared. They also tend to mutate as they travel, further diffusing the truth and relevance of the information they contain,' PhonepayPlus added.
Consumers are however being warned to stay on their guard as premium rate phone fraud is not uncommon. For more information on how to protect yourself against this type of scam you can visit the PhonepayPlus website.
Meanwhile to find out about other types of online fraud you should avoid check out our picture gallery: '10 online scams to watch out for'.
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- http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/crime-prevention/helping-prevent-crime/scams/postal-delivery-scam
- PhonepayPlus
- Crimestoppers
- PhonepayPlus statement
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7 comments so far. Why not have your say?
Steven Cox
Nov 22, 2010 at 14:51
So the shysters involved in this are well down the road, no doubt with tidy sums in their pockets, and probably with several more scams under their belts since then.
It isn't the email that's the problem, more that somewhere along the line, it has reached the inbox of someone who doesn't bother to clear out their old messages.
And unfortunately, that kind of shoddy housekeeping is impossible to legislate for. People guilty of it, in some degree, deserve whatever they get.
report thisAllan Harris
Nov 22, 2010 at 15:29
I was forwarded this last week from a contact and deleted it as junk.
report thisAdam Eve
Nov 22, 2010 at 15:54
ONLY a £10000 FINE!
So they only needed to scam around 330 People before they were well in profit,
Sounds like a VERY PROFITABLY scam to me, I wonder if the BANKS have seen it!
report thisAnthony Tinslay
Nov 22, 2010 at 17:39
I have had three receipts of this silly round robin nuisance - all from people who should know better than to act as lemmings. Have NOT sent on to anyone but this nonsence is the easiest way to spread a virus. People really should know better
report thissnoekie
Nov 22, 2010 at 22:06
And B(ritish) T(hieves) are one of the beneficiaries, no doubt, and they will still trya and charge you, after all it is their lines that are being used!!.
Some years ago they tried to collect from me for faxes, my fax got an instruction to ring a premium number (and did several times a day until I got the bill) and they insisted I was liable and after 20 odd minutes they finally agreed to waive the charge (when I suggested they in on the fraud-which they assured me they were not, just doing a service and I suggested they sue and I would allege criminal fraud as they were aware of the scam) and block premium no calls. Charge them with aiding and abetting, because they too profit from the fraud and waste peoples time trying to collect.
report thisspanish flybe
Nov 22, 2010 at 22:19
why dont they just stop premium rate numbers so the service cant be abused
report thiskeith clark
Dec 06, 2010 at 23:16
what about the bank details scam, I have recieved many requests from HSBC even though I have never banked with them requesting my details and recently some from Egg all of which seem real enough and even asking for my mothers maiden name and password, I printed one out and compaired the heading with an old one I had when I did bank with them and they are exactly the same
It pays always to be on ones guard and delete every one
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