The Post Office has been receiving reports about yet another new scam.
This scam is “designed to mislead members of the public to pay money into a fraudulent account, and into sharing the details of their credit card with the scammers”, spokesperson Johan Kruger says.
The latest scam works as follows: residents receive fake emails and SMS messages which appear to originate from the Post Office.
“Clicking on the link in the message leads the user to a payment page where they are asked to deposit money into an account to ‘release’ a package. In several instances a form is included asking the card number and the CVV number on the back.”
The combination of the card number and CVV number are then used for online purchases and can be used up to the account’s credit limit.
Kruger says this is how you can spot a message or email that is not from the Post Office:
. The Post Office never asks for import duties or clearance fees in advance. “If there are customs fees payable on a parcel from abroad, the client pays the fees when they collect the parcel from the post office counter or when delivered by a post office driver.”
. The Post Office never requests your bank account number or an online payment for customs duties.
. The tracking number on the message is invalid when entered into the postal tracking website, or refers to a parcel that was collected years ago.
. The website you land on after clicking is not the Post Office’s secure website.
. The Post Office sends customers an SMS or a collection slip when they have a parcel waiting for collection at a post office branch.
This parcel should be collected as soon as possible to make sure it is not returned to the sender.
An identity document is required to make sure the rightful owner collects the parcel.
If you have any information about postal crimes, contact the Post Office’s toll-free crime buster hotline on 0800 020 070.
