Evri shares action it will ‘never’ do as parcel delivery scams surge

12/11/2023

Parcel delivery company Evri has shared tips on spotting and avoiding scams in the run-up to Christmas – including the one action it will “never” do. ,

The pandemic prompted a significant increase in online shopping and home deliveries. Consequently, Evri reported an additional 250 million parcels entering its network, reflecting five years of growth in just five months.

But as more people shop online, scammers have been quick to take advantage of consumers, recognising that millions would be waiting on parcels from big delivery companies.

Bogus texts and emails impersonating well-known retailers and parcel firms are rapidly rising, aiming to deceive consumers into handing over their personal information and bank details.

A member of Evri’s Cyber Security team said: “These criminals use what we call the ‘spray and pray’ method. Sending out millions of these messages each month across a variety of different brands in the hope of catching you out.

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“We take fraudulent activity incredibly seriously here and we work closely with a number of leading external cybersecurity partners as well as the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Centre to identify scams and remove these as quickly as possible.”

Sharing its top tips to help people identify when they may be being scammed, Evri said it would “never” request payment from its customers over text or email.

The firm has also provided seven additional red flags for people to look out for in any communications claiming to be from Evri.

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How to spot an Evri scam

Look out for poor language – poorly written sentences, grammar and spelling errors.
Lack of a personal greeting – they may use ‘Dear Customer’ or ‘Dear [your email address]’ instead of using the name a person uses on their account (though criminals are getting better at personalising messages)
A link or button – they may include links or buttons in emails that urge people to click on them. Before clicking on any links, hover over the button or URL to check it goes where it’s supposed to. If it brings up an unrecognised address, it could be a scam.
An unusual or vague email address – the email address will often be different from the usual email address from that company, even just using a slight misspelling or different formatting.
Check the number – a scam text message often arrives as a mobile number, rather than from an official source.
Urgency in messages – scammers want people to act quickly. If the message is trying to make people send details quickly, they should be suspicious.
Lacks detail about the parcel – delivery scams are typically vague and offer no specifics about a parcel, no tracking number, where it’s coming from or what’s inside.

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How to report a scam

For those who think they’ve been a victim of one of these scams, Evri suggested people talk to their bank or card provider “immediately”.

People can also report the scam to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. More independent advice and support can be found via Citizens Advice’s consumer helpline on 0808 223 1122.

Additionally, people can report suspicious SMS activity to the Government’s own anti-phishing services at 7726 or [email protected].

Evri customers can also report suspicious activity directly to its dedicated mailbox at [email protected].

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