Christmas shoppers are being scammed out of their hard-earned cash by thieves who are using a cunning tactic known as "spray and pay". Thousands of fake texts are being sent to mobile phones across the UK, claiming that parcels won't be delivered on time.
The scam starts with a text message telling you that your parcel can't be made and directing you to a website to rebook. But here's the catch: the link takes you to a fake site that looks like it belongs to a courier company, such as Evri or Royal Mail. The scammers then ask for payment information, claiming there's a small fee for rearranging the delivery.
The problem is, many of these scams are so convincing that some people do end up paying the fee, only to realize later that they've been duped. In fact, one courier company reported 10,000 cases of delivery fraud between November and January this year alone.
So how can you spot a scam text? Be wary if there's no personal details about your order, or if the message comes from a random number. And don't click on any links without checking the sender first.
If you do fall victim to the scam, act fast. Contact your bank and let them know what happened, so they can put a freeze on your account. If you get a notification that a payment has been attempted, tell the bank it was not you.
And if you're expecting multiple parcels, be cautious of texts telling you that all 27 of them won't be delivered. Take your time to check before responding to any text message.
The National Cyber Security Centre has warned that scammers may try to persuade people to download malicious software through links on fake texts. So, never click on anything suspicious, and always delete the message if it's a scam.
The scam starts with a text message telling you that your parcel can't be made and directing you to a website to rebook. But here's the catch: the link takes you to a fake site that looks like it belongs to a courier company, such as Evri or Royal Mail. The scammers then ask for payment information, claiming there's a small fee for rearranging the delivery.
The problem is, many of these scams are so convincing that some people do end up paying the fee, only to realize later that they've been duped. In fact, one courier company reported 10,000 cases of delivery fraud between November and January this year alone.
So how can you spot a scam text? Be wary if there's no personal details about your order, or if the message comes from a random number. And don't click on any links without checking the sender first.
If you do fall victim to the scam, act fast. Contact your bank and let them know what happened, so they can put a freeze on your account. If you get a notification that a payment has been attempted, tell the bank it was not you.
And if you're expecting multiple parcels, be cautious of texts telling you that all 27 of them won't be delivered. Take your time to check before responding to any text message.
The National Cyber Security Centre has warned that scammers may try to persuade people to download malicious software through links on fake texts. So, never click on anything suspicious, and always delete the message if it's a scam.
! I've seen some of my friends fall for these scams & now they're all stressed out 
. The thing is, these scammers are getting SO smart that even the courier companies are reporting thousands of cases 
. We need to be super vigilant online, guys! 
If you get a text like this, don't panic but do your research 
. Check if it's legit by contacting your bank or checking with the courier company directly 
. And for goodness' sake, never give out your personal info or payment details to anyone who contacts you out of the blue 
! Stay safe online, fam 
#ScamAwareness #OnlineSafety #DonTFallForIt
️ Also, I think courier companies should do more to educate their customers about these types of scams - after all, they're the ones being affected by it.
. Always be cautious when it comes to texts from unknown numbers or claiming orders that weren't even yours 
They're sending out thousands of fake texts trying to get people to pay for non-existent delivery fees. It's like, come on guys, don't they know this is the most obvious scam ever? 
I mean, who actually falls for it? The stats say 10k cases just between November and January?! That's wild! Anyway, I think the key here is to be super cautious when you get a text from an unknown number. Don't click on any links or respond without checking the sender first. And if you're expecting multiple parcels, take your time before responding to any texts. The bank thing is also a good idea, so contact them ASAP if you think you've been scammed. Just be aware of your surroundings and don't let these scammers get away with it! 
It's gotta be super hard to spot a fake text message from a random number. Did you know that 75% of phishing attacks involve SMS? 
And the worst part is, once you're caught up in the scam, it's really hard to get your money back... like, only 30% of victims can recover their losses. 
these "spray and pay" scams r getting so convincing its like u need a magnifying glass 2 see what's real n what's not 
just delete it n block the number ASAP 
. and if u do get duped, act fast! contact ur bank n let them know w/ a freeze n all that jazz 
I mean, who gets fooled by a fake text saying their parcel won't be delivered? It's like, just check your order history on the courier company's website or something... 
According to the UK's Action Fraud team, people lost over £23 million to scammers during the holiday season last year... that's like buying over 450,000 average UK homes for cash 
On top of all this, did you know that 9 out of 10 scammers use the 'spray and pay' tactic? 
That's a staggering 90%! 
. Anyway, gotta be careful out there and always fact-check before responding to any text message 
those 10,000 cases of delivery fraud is crazy... we need to look out for each other more, especially when it comes to online safety 
. It's like they're trying to trick us into thinking it's a legitimate problem that needs fixing 
.
. Let's just be more careful with our mobiles this holiday season 
. thousands of ppl losing money cuz they're too busy shopping 2 think 
. i mean, come on, folks! do a little fact-check before ur life savings r stolen 
. and 2 all the people who fall victim 2 these scams, act fast! contact ur bank ASAP & get that account frozen 
. we gotta be more careful out here 
.
I'm literally shaking my head thinking about all those poor souls who got scammed.
.
And then there are the people who actually fall for it... what does that say about us as consumers? That we're not even doing due diligence on the companies we're shopping with? 
It's like, we need to take a step back and think about our own agency in this situation. Can't just blindly trust the text message, gotta do some research first 