postal scam

[rsvp]

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:
In case some ABers maybe aren't aware of this scam

[factor-fiction]

This is a hoax email. It comes out every year .
http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/fraud/types-of-fraud/common-scams/postal-scam-email-from-parcel-delivery-service-65455465

[percypineapple]

The site generating this number was shut down in 2005, so i am told.

[factor-fiction]

See here also
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/pds-phone-scam.html

[rsvp]

thank you factor 30 - I wasn't aware of that

[factor-fiction]

The 'more information' given on the Crime Stoppers website says:
"This email is a hoax and the information contained in it is not true. If you receive this information please ignore it."

[factor-fiction]

Hi- yes these hoaxes work on the basis that people want to be helpful and will forward these emails to lots of people. I'm not sure what satisfaction they get.
Any email that says "forward this to as many people as possible" is almost certain to be a hoax.

[Psybbo]

Factor, are you saying the warning is a hoax or the card posted through the door?

[rsvp]

and percypineapple.

[factor-fiction]

The email warning is regularly flagged up by crimestoppers as a hoax.

I believe there are scammers though who push cards though doors asking you to ring a premium rate number but I'm sure there is a maximum cost which is nowhere near £315.

[FredPuli43]

I had one, purporting to be from one of the big international carriers, and tricked out to look like one of their emails, with parcel reference etc. It had an attachment but no phone number in the text itself. That was a bit odd, but odder was the word 'Air' in the description, suggesting that this mysterious object had come from abroad (when I had no reason to expect anything flown in) and the absence of any name for me. I didn't open the attachment. I expect the 'carrier' would have asked for a payment for customs fees, inter alia, for this non-existent parcel, to explain why they couldn't attempt to deliver it beforehand

[boxtops]

I get those quite often, fred, often Fedex or similar - I just delete them.

[factor-fiction]

It says somewhere on the crimestoppers site that the maximum cost of premium rate calls is £1.50 a minute, so total costs of more than may be £10 seems unlikely.
The more popular fraud now is the email one FredPuli refers to- that can either activate a virus or can ask for fees to be paid

[Eve]

I used to get loads from DHL I think, just ignored and deleted them.

Randomly I get a lot of ones in french too!

[wiltsman]

Crimestoppers state:
____________________________________

Re Postal scam email from Parcel Delivery Service

Crimestoppers has recently received a number of enquiries regarding a chain email warning people about a postal scam that could leave you £315 out of pocket.

This email is a hoax and the information contained in it is not true. If you receive this information please ignore it'.
____________________________________

I would hope that no one receiving the hoax email will forward it to anybody else, but just delete it.

[lankeela]

Its being passed round on facebook, I believe that this is done so that the post gets lots of 'likes' then the originator sells the page to advertisers who change the content, but can still claim the 'likes' making their product or page look popular. Same with the posts that say pass this on to all your friends if you know someone who has cancer, or other similar things.