Scam Post

Scammers may write to you out of the blue using clever techniques to persuade you to send them money or ask for personal and/or banking details.

Be particularly wary of letters relating to:

  • Lotteries or competitions you have not entered.
  • Clairvoyants who suggest harm may come to you if you do not send them money.
  • Charities you have not heard of.
  • Health products that offer miracle cures.
  • Offers of romance that normally led to requests for money.
  • Pension offers which normally lead to requests to transfer your pension funds; and
  • Investments in land, wine, precious stones, or carbon credits.

It is always important to be scam aware. Look out for:

  • Bad spelling.
  • The prize is too good to be true.
  • Uses a general address like a PO Box.
  • Asks you to send money to claim your prize; and
  • Watermarks like win, barcodes, seals, or codes are used. 

Parcel Delivery Scams

The increase in online shopping has led to an increase in parcel delivery text messaging, email and phone call scams. Common scams to look out for include calls, emails or text messages stating:

  • You have missed a delivery and to pay a fee to rearrange delivery.
  • You owe custom fees before your parcel is delivered.
  • You owe courier fees before your parcel is delivered.

If you receive a text message, email or phone call of this nature:

  • Remain cautious. 
  • Consider are expecting a parcel from this company and do any parcel reference numbers match.
  • Do not provide any personal information or make any payments if you are not sure.
  • Do not click on any links in messages.
  • Contact the courier direct to find out if it is a legitimate message/phone call.

If you receive a scam message or call report it to the 7726 services. You can find out more about how to report scams to this service by visiting Ofcom’s website. Visit our Scams web page to learn more about the latest scams.

Reporting Scam Mail

If you have been caught out by a scam or think a friend or family member has been affected, contact Consumerline who can give advice and if necessary, pass the matter onto:

Trading Standards Service:
Tel: 0300 123 6262
Web: www.nidirect.gov.uk/consumerline

Alternatively, you can report a scam to Action Fraud:
Tel: 0300 123 2040
Web: www.actionfraud.police.uk/contact-us

For further information see our Scams web page or visit the ScamswiseNI Partnership website Scamwiseni | nidirect