It was claimed that fake messages about bogus delivery have tripled in one year, and now account for almost half of all suspected messages to mobile phones.
UK Finance, a bank trade organization, stated that just under half of the reported scam text messages in the last three months (55.94%) were from courier firms.
In 2020, 16.37 percent of the bogus text were related to parcels.
Yesterday’s stock image shows that fake texts about bogus delivery have more than tripled in one year, accounting for almost half of all suspected messages sent from mobile phones (stock photo).
Proofpoint is a cybersecurity company that provided the numbers to the group. It operates the 7726 Text System, which allows customers to report suspicious texts.
This information is used to investigate and take down any fraudulent web sites by the National Cyber Security Centre.
Many fake texts claim that the courier could not deliver and provide a link for financial and personal information.
A trade association also cautioned against scams where customers pay for products that they have never received.
Katy Worobec, of UK Finance, said: ‘Whether you’re shopping online or waiting for deliveries over the festive period, it’s important to be on the lookout for scams.’
She also said, “Scroogelike criminals are trying to trick people out their cash during the festive season.”
UK Finance (a trade association for banking) stated that only half (55.94%) of the scam messages reported in this year’s final three months were from fraudsters (stock photo).
‘Don’t let fraudsters steal your Christmas – always follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign and stop and think before parting with your information or money.’
JacintaTobin, Vice-President at Cloudmark Operations, for Proofpoint said that consumers need to be skeptical about mobile messages from unknown sources.
‘It’s important to never click on links in text messages, no matter how realistic they look. You can contact the vendor who sent you the link directly via their website. Make sure to enter the URL manually.
“For offers codes, enter them into the site directly. It’s also vital that you don’t respond to strange texts or texts from unknown sources. Doing so will often confirm you’re a real person to future scammers.’