Scammers try to target us when we are so busy or have so many things to keep track of we are vulnerable to making a mistake. Christmas is the busiest time of year and offers a priceless opportunity for scammers who prey upon our eagerness to purchase the perfect gift or for items to arrive.
The flurry of festive activity leaves us all vulnerable to being targeted. Between shopping, food prepping and gift wrapping, all of us are probably going to be exposed to some attempts to steal our information over the festive season. So here’s our guidance on how to spot scams so you are prepared and can stay safe.
Delivery scams
Of all the scams, it’s those relating to package deliveries that consistently top the charts.
Parcel delivery scams work by sending people a text or email that appears to be from a delivery company like Royal Mail, DPD or Evri. The message will try to extract personal information or bank details – usually by saying a small fee must be paid to complete or reschedule a delivery.
The text or email will always contain a link that will take you to a website that looks just like the companies but is in fact a fake – and where, if you submit your address or card details, they will be stolen. In some cases, the scam will encourage you to install an app or click a link that contains spyware.
How to spot a delivery scam
When people are busy or impatiently waiting for parcels, they’re much more likely to fall for this type of scam.
These messages can be really convincing – with branded headers, legitimate looking websites and sometimes even false parcel tracking information. However, the first thing to remember is that, in general, delivery companies will rarely ask you to provide bank details to complete or reschedule a delivery. (Royal Mail will never ask for payment via text or email).
So if you receive a message of this nature don’t open any of the links. Instead stop and consider whether it is legitimate or not by following these three simple steps:
1) Take a moment to think carefully about what packages you are expecting and from which company.
Most delivery scams will be very vague with details about what they are delivering or where from. By doing your own checklist of what you are expecting and from who, you can eliminate any obvious scams – messages from companies you don’t have packages with or items you aren’t expecting.
2) Look carefully at the details of the message: where it has come from, how it is phrased and where the link leads to.
Checking the phone number or email address the message was sent from will almost always expose a scam. A scam text message will arrive from a mobile number, rather than an official sender name like Evri or DPD. And the email domains of scammers, while made to look like an official channel, will have some key differences – whether it be slight misspelling or formatting differences such as @evri.co.uk rather than @evri.com. You can always Google an email address or phone number to see if it is legitimate or has already been reported as fraudulent.
Before you click on any links, hover over the button or URL to check it goes. If it brings up an unrecognised address, it could be a scam.
The message itself is also likely to contain poor language, spelling and grammatical errors – you may see exclamation marks, lack of punctuation or strange capitalisation.
3) Finally, remember that only scammers try to rush you.
Scammers rely on pressure tactics to make you give away your information quickly before you’ve had time to think about what you’re doing. Anything that is obviously designed to put pressure on you to hand over your details quickly – phrases like “Actions will be taken if you don’t pay this fee” – should raise your suspicions.
Help, resources and how to report a delivery scam
With so many scammers about, most delivery companies now have pages on their websites dedicated to helping you spot them.
The Royal Mail website has a list of recent scams with examples that are worth taking a look at.
DPD and Evri also have pages dedicated to explaining phishing scams with examples of emails and texts sent by scammers pretending to be them.
There are also a number of organisations and government initiatives to help support consumers tackle fraud.
Take Five is a campaign to raise awareness about how to tackle fraud. Check their guidance on how to Stop, Challenge, Protect.
The National Cyber Security Centre has issued specific guidance on how to spot and what to do if you have clicked on a fake “missed parcel” message.
If you do receive a suspicious message you should report it immediately to both the company they are pretending to be and report@phishing.gov.uk.
If the message is a text, you can forward it to 7726 for free. If it’s an email, take a screenshot and forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk.
Shopping scams
While delivery scams continue to surge, shopping scams are not far behind. Especially during the festive season, fraudsters will take advantage of busy shoppers, limited-time sales, and the pressure to grab bargains before they disappear. In the past year, millions of people have encountered fake online shops, counterfeit listings, and bogus marketplace sellers posing as legitimate businesses.
Shopping scams typically lure victims with products at unusually low prices. Whether that’s a designer coat for half the usual cost, a discounted games console that’s out of stock everywhere else, or a last-minute gift that promises next-day delivery, these are offers that seem too good to be true.
Scammers often create convincing websites or fake listings on social media, online marketplaces or classified-ad platforms. Once you attempt to buy something, they’ll extract your personal information or payment details, and the product you paid for will never arrive. In other cases, they redirect you to a cloned website designed to harvest your card information.
How to spot a shopping scam
When people feel rushed by a limited-time offer or excited about finding the “perfect” deal, they’re far more likely to fall for a fake one.
Fraudsters put considerable effort into making scam shops look real: complete with professional-looking product photos, authentic logos and even fabricated customer reviews. But, like delivery scams, there are clear warning signs to look out for.
1) Stop and think about the deal being offered.
If a product is significantly cheaper than it should be, or if the listing feels too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers rarely provide detailed descriptions or technical specifications so a lack of detail is a red flag. Stop and ask yourself: does the price align with what other stores charge? Does the seller seem genuine, with a track record you can verify?
2) Look closely at the seller’s details, website and payment options.
A scam website or profile often gives itself away through subtle inconsistencies. Check the URL: scammers may use slight misspellings, extra characters or unfamiliar domain endings. Look up the seller’s name, reviews and business details elsewhere online to see if others have reported issues.
Payment methods can also reveal a scam. Fraudsters may insist on bank transfers, gift cards or other non-traceable payments. Legitimate retailers almost always offer secure payment options such as credit or debit cards. Poor spelling, generic product descriptions or low-quality images are further clues that the listing may be fraudulent.
3) Remember that scammers rely on your impulse to “buy now”.
Anything that pressures you to act fast, such as “Only 1 left!”, “Sale ends in minutes!”, “Claim this offer before it disappears!” is designed to stop you from thinking things through. Take a moment to check the seller, compare prices, and confirm whether the retailer is legitimate before handing over any details.
Help, resources and how to report a shopping scam
Most well-known retailers and marketplaces now provide advice on recognising fraudulent listings and reporting suspicious sellers.
Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre, publishes regular alerts about new shopping scams and offers guidance on what to do if you’ve been targeted.
Which? and Citizens Advice both maintain up-to-date resources on how to identify fake retailers, spot cloned websites and protect yourself when shopping online.
If you encounter a suspicious website, advert or listing, report it to the platform it appears on — whether that’s Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Vinted or a standalone website. You can also forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk
and report scam adverts through the National Cyber Security Centre’s guidance pages.
If you’ve paid for goods that never arrived, contact your bank immediately. You may be able to get your money back through your bank’s fraud-protection processes or a chargeback if you paid by card.
Taking these steps helps protect not just you, but countless other shoppers who might otherwise fall into the same trap.
If you have any thoughts on this topic, or any other consumer issues you would like us to cover, feel free to get in touch with us at support@resolver.co.uk.