Intelligence from UK Finance suggests that criminals are sending out phishing emails, purportedly from well-known delivery companies, which claim that they have been unable to deliver parcels, packages or large letters.

These emails may ask the recipient to pay a fee or provide additional details in order to rearrange the delivery.

Fraudsters are also impersonating delivery companies via phone calls and text messages, as well as fake delivery notices posted through letterboxes. Similarly, these will ask for advance payment or for customers to provide information that is later used to defraud them.

Customers are typically tricked into clicking on links to seemingly genuine websites requesting personal and financial information such as their address, date of birth, mobile number or bank details, which are then used to commit fraud.

In some cases, victims later receive a call from the criminal pretending to be from their bank’s fraud team, trying to persuade them to move their money to a safe account or reveal their passcodes.

Katy Worobec, managing director of economic crime at UK Finance, said: “Unscrupulous criminals will stop at nothing to commit fraud and that includes exploiting the festive season to target their victims.

“With more of us than ever expecting to send and receive gifts by post this Christmas, criminals are looking to cash in by sending scam emails and text messages imitating parcel delivery companies. Often these scams will claim a parcel hasn’t been delivered as a way to trick people into giving away their personal and financial details, which are then used to commit fraud.

“We are urging people not to give a gift to fraudsters this Christmas and to follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign. Always take a moment to stop and think before parting with your information or money and avoid clicking on links in an email or text message in case it’s a scam.”

Customers can report suspected scam texts to their mobile network provider by forwarding them to 7726, and forward any suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk, the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) suspicious email reporting service.