Delivery giants issue warning to those shopping online this Christmas

In an age where everything is instantaneous, we expect the same for delivery services and ordering online.

So, when a notification comes through stating a package is delayed, it becomes a huge inconvenience.

But how do you know whether this information is coming from the legitimate company?

According to NatWest, 42% of British adults have been targeted by scammers in the last 12 months.

Alarmingly, purchase scams make up three of the top five fastest growing scams in Britain.

Individuals aged 75 and over are most affected, with 87% being contacted through telephone calls.

However, 18-24 years olds are the second most targeted age group, with 84% reached via text messages and emails.

Major delivery services such as Amazon, Evri, Royal mail and Inpost are most impersonated by scammers, so have urged their customers to shop with caution.

They also provide information on their websites, as to what to look out for in the event of a scam message being received.

These include:

• – Making sure to check the phone number
• -Looking out for information that’s required instantly
• -Lack of details about your package
• -Spelling and grammatical errors

Royal Mail in particular, says it will never use email or text to collect fees and instead leave a grey Fee to pay card.

Which? Also states: “If you have been scammed, call your bank immediately using the phone number on the back of your bank card and report it to action fraud.”