Hermes users warned to ‘look out’ for common scams as fake texts circulate – how to spot

Hermes users warned to ‘look out’ for common scams as fake texts circulate – how to spot

05/07/2021

Martin Lewis shares tips for sending parcels

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Hermes, DHL and Royal Mail have all noticed an increase in fake messages posing as them. This comes as more people shop online and rely on parcel deliveries.

While scams are becoming more frequent, they can be difficult to spot.

Knowing if a message is fake is even more difficult when customers are expecting a parcel.

Research by payment provider Dojo found reports of Hermes text scams increased by 633 percent between February and March 2021.

Hermes has shared advice on how to spot a potential scam and the key warning signs.

How to spot a scam

Scams can be sent by email, text message, on social media or made over the phone.

Hermes explained these will often look convincing and appear to come from a legitimate sender.

Looking at the email address could be a way to figure out something isn’t right.

“To stop a phishing/smishing scam, make sure you check the email address to ensure messages are valid and have come from who they say,” Hermes website states.

“A phishing email may use similar details to the recognised Hermes addresses, but you may notice spelling errors or slightly different formatting.

“Our emails will typically come from: @hermes-europe.co.uk or @myhermes.co.uk.”

Texts or emails which include links is also a warning sign for a scam.

The statement added: “Before you click 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.

“To help protect yourself online, use your usual search engine to find information from cyberaware.gov.uk and getsafeonline.org.”

It also added many scams will not be personalised and have generic greetings, such as ‘Dear Customer’, ‘Dear Sir/Madam’, or ‘Dear [your email address]’.

Fraudulent messages are often poorly written, the courier service warned.

The post said: “Look out for poorly written sentences with spelling and grammatical errors.”

Those who think they have been targeted can get in touch with Action Fraud to report the messages.

Suspicious emails can also be forwarded to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service at [email protected].

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