Scam to be aware of

Hi all,

I just got emailed the following from work. Not sure if it is a new/old scam but thought it was better to be safe than sorry..! Apologies for the huge font, it wont go smaller when I try and edit it!

Postal Scam

Can you circulate this around especially as Christmas is fast approaching - it has been confirmed by Royal Mail. The Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam:

A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service)suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a premium rate number). DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize.

If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £15 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 02072396655 or ICSTIS (the premium rate service regulator) at www.icstis.org.uk

Thanks Maria.

[the_lone_wolf]

ZOMG it's true!!!


snopes says so:

http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/pds.asp

I never even look at stuff like this, it just goes straight in my junk mailbox If they were that bothered they'd post IMO. Cheers for the alert tho Maria.

Originally Posted by Miss Alpinestarhero

Hi all,

I just got emailed the following from work. Not sure if it is a new/old scam but thought it was better to be safe than sorry..! Apologies for the huge font, it wont go smaller when I try and edit it!

Postal Scam

Can you circulate this around especially as Christmas is fast approaching - it has been confirmed by Royal Mail. The Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam:

A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service)suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a premium rate number). DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize.

If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £15 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 02072396655 or ICSTIS (the premium rate service regulator) at www.icstis.org.uk

Got a couple of those in the post las year.... and thankfully managed to stop my flatmate from calling them

tis true we've had this circulated at our work (royal mail north west midlands)

If any of you actually bothered to read that link from the lone wolf!!!!!!

<UL TYPE="DISC">
<LI> The chain email refers to a service that was shut down by us in December 2005.</LI>
<P></P>
<LI> We subsequently fined the company that was operating the service, Studio Telecom
(based in Belize), &pound;10,000.</LI>
<P></P>
<LI> The service is NO LONGER running and has NOT been running since December 2005.</LI>
<P></P>
<LI> The email refers to a &pound;15 charge for simply being connected to a recorded message.
This is NOT TRUE &mdash; a &pound;15 connection charge does NOT exist. The service in question
actually cost &pound;1.50 per minute and lasted six minutes, making a total cost of &pound;9 if callers
stayed on the line for the full six minutes.</LI>
<P></P>
<LI> You do NOT need to contact us, or the Royal Mail, about this service as it was stopped almost two years ago.</LI>
<P></P>
<LI> If you receive a copy of the email warning you about the alleged scam, please do NOT forward it to others. Instead, please forward this statement from PhonepayPlus.</LI>
<P></P>
<LI> Please go to www.phonepayplus.org.uk/pdfs_news/ConsumerGuide.pdf for useful information about how to recognise phone-paid services and understand what they cost, and some simple tips to help you enjoy using services with confidence.</LI>
<P></P>
<LI> For more detailed information about our work, please visit www.phonepayplus.org.uk.</LI>
</UL>

Forwarding this stuff without reading it properly is just like forwarding spam & junk mail.

Originally Posted by Kinvig

If any of you actually bothered to read that link from the lone wolf!!!!! .....Forwarding this stuff without reading it properly is just like forwarding spam & junk mail.

Oh well, no harm in being aware of stuff is it?

from snopes.com: "Although the specific warning email reproduced at the head of this email is out of date, it represents a common type of telephone fraud that has been used int he past and will likely be used again, so the public is well advised to be aware of it"

Originally Posted by Miss Alpinestarhero

Oh well, no harm in being aware of stuff is it?

nope better to be safe than sorry and just ignore 'em all together

Originally Posted by Miss Alpinestarhero

Oh well, no harm in being aware of stuff is it?

Sometimes......!

I never forward this kind of email and normally respond to the sender in a v.sacrastic manner.


All it does is two things:

1. Fill up your inbox with rubbish
2. gives a load of legit email addresses to spammers to continue to email you about viagra & watches & diplomas & medications!