A Ramsgate resident has issued a warning over a parcel delivery scam which is currently operating in Thanet.
The resident, who has asked not to be named, received a DPD delivery of two mobile phones, which he had not ordered, to his home last week.
He said: “Five minutes later a young guy in his early 20s, wearing a DPD jacket, knocked on the door asking for them back and said there had been a labelling error at DPD.
“The second guy was sitting waiting for the delivery. As I raised my phone to video him he turned round and went off quickly.
“I have reported it to police and contacted my bank and Action Fraud. I did not let him have the parcel back as it has got my name on.
“This scam was phones but it could apply to any online business that just requires a background check and active bank account. It is quite a complex scam in that several things have to fall into place.
“When I spoke to the officer about this he said this (type of scam) accounted for 20% of all reported illegal activity in Kent now.”
The resident has broken down the scam to make others aware of how it works and what to look out for:
All the scammers need:
- To know that you do not already have an account with the supplier (or the scam won’t work). They may ascertain this with a phone call pretending to be from a relevant company.
- Knowledge of the name of the delivery company that delivers the items.
- A name and full address to use as the purchaser
- A bank account (in this case the bank account was not the resident who received the parcel).
The scam: (This is not a full outline)
- Contact a supplier that uses a courier company for deliveries
- Order the goods (in this case two iPhones valued at £1250 each).
- Set up fake account
The Sting:
- The couriers send an email or text message (details supplied by the scammers when setting up the account) with an estimated date/time the delivery would take place.
- The scammers wait near the delivery address so to be able to see the delivery take place. 3. The courier makes the delivery, takes a photo as proof of delivery needed by the supplier. 4. The scammers wait for the delivery vehicle to leave.
- The scammers then call at the address with some form of identification they are from the couriers (in this case the guy had a DPD jacket on).
- The scammer explains the parcels just delivered were wrongly labelled and were not for you at all.
- The scammer lays it on quite thick that he needs them back or he will get in to trouble.
- If you refuse to hand back the parcel(s) the scammer will then say they will contact their supervisor or manager as you are refusing.
Be Aware:
- The parcel(s) that have your name and address on them are labelled by the suppliers NOT the courier company.
- If you do not know or recognise the delivery driver (most couriers only have one operative per vehicle) look for the delivery vehicle, if the delivery you just had was a van then where is it?
- Never give up a parcel that has your name on it, if it wasn’t expected or ordered by you then chances are it’s a scam.
A Kent Police spokesperson said: “Kent Police received a report of fraud on Friday 2 February from a Ramsgate resident.
“A man called police at around 9.20am after two new mobile phones were delivered to him at his address, which he had not ordered. He then received a visit from a person claiming to be a courier who wanted to collect the items.
“The man thought this was suspicious, refused to hand over the phones and reported the incident to Kent Police.
“He was given safety advice by an officer from the force’s Economic Crime Team and the matter has also been referred to Action Fraud for review.”
