Essex Police have warned residents of the county to watch out for scam text messages claiming to be from Royal Mail.
The force says crooks are taking advantage of residents' reliance on online shopping during the pandemic to try and scam them.
Reports have been made to Essex Police of text messages claiming to be from Royal Mail.
The texts ask for payment to deliver a parcel by clicking on a link in the message.
These messages are not from Royal Mail and may ask residents to enter payment or personal details via the link.
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Essex Police has urged the public to be aware of the messages and be sure not to clik the link.
Criminals are taking advantage of reliance on online shopping to scam people. We've been alerted to scam text messages claiming to be from @RoyalMail asking for payment to deliver your parcel by clicking on a link in the message. Stay alert to scam texts. #FraudFriday pic.twitter.com/JmeWWXsm4J
— Essex Police (@EssexPoliceUK) April 9, 2021
Royal Mail has said it would not use such texts - unless specifically requested - and would use a grey card instead to tell people if any fee was required.
It warned the public about a similar email scam in February, and it appears that the fraudsters' campaign is evolving.
Concerns about delivery scams have risen since the surge in online shopping during the pandemic lockdowns.
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