There’s no denying that there has been a significant rise in sophisticated scamming and phishing activity throughout the past year of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Fresh warnings of fraudulent acts seem to be being issued to the public every month.
Scammers have been carrying out fraudulent activity under the guise of just about everything from Amazon Prime and hot tub sales companies, to social media platforms such as Facebook, and even the NHS in recent months, but it’s the Royal Mail – the nation’s postal service company – in particular, that appears to be the most-frequent subject of scams targeting vulnerable people.
But it’s this latest scam that’s proving to be one of the most scarily-accurate yet.
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Several people have come forward on social media to say that they’ve fallen for the scam, with one woman saying in a now-viral warning tweet that the scammers took her for “every penny [she] had”.
Victims are said to have received a text message tasking them with paying an “unpaid shipping fee”, alongside a link where they can go to pay the supposed amount that they owe, and with the text message only asking for as little as £2.99, the scammers appear to then be able to access that person’s card details to spend the money elsewhere.
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Using the hashtag #RoyalMailScam, dozens more have also claimed they nearly fell for the scam due to it looking so legitimate.
Another scam to be aware of… claiming to be @RoyalMail, It takes you to a fake site that looks real, you think you’re paying £2-99, but they empty your account.
But it’s Emmeline Hartley’s now-viral tweet that’s made people really start to take note.
Ms Hartley took to Twitter to share her experience of a scam which saw the culprits trying to spend £300, as well as attempting to set up direct debits for different retail stores.
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Sharing a detailed account of what she was subject to, Emmeline said: “I mentioned yesterday that I’d been scammed out of every penny I had [so I] thought I’d post what happened in case it helps anyone avoid being in the same position.
“Please save the lectures, I don’t think it’s possible for me to feel any stupider”.
In the accompanying statement, Emmeline explains that she put her account details into the link provided on the text purported to be from Royal Mail, only to later receive a call from her bank to report suspicious activity to her.
I mentioned yesterday that I’d been scammed out of every penny I had. Thought I’d post what happened in case it helps anyone avoid being in the same position. Please save the lectures, I don’t think it’s possible for me to feel any stupider 🤦🏻♀️ #royalmailscam#safeaccountscampic.twitter.com/YRrh8W6uje
She was then advised to move her money out of her three accounts into a new one, but to make matters worse, the person on the other end of the phone was also another highly-experienced scammer who then completely cleared out her accounts leaving her with nothing.
While Emmeline has fortunately since made progress with her legitimate bank and filed a fraud claim – which is currently being investigated – her bank has stated that they couldn’t guarantee that she’d get all of her money reimbursed.
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“I’m usually very good at not falling for scams, but this one caught be off-guard at a pretty vulnerable time in my life,” Emmeline said.
“This s**t can happen to anyone – Please [share] and keep each other safe”.
The tweet has since gone on to amass over 13.5K retweets and 23.K likes, with many members of the public spreading word of the message to protect people and others sharing their own similar experiences.
People from across the country have still reported receiving the text in the following days.
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Always remember to keep vigilant.
You can report suspicious messages to Action Fraud here, or call – 0300 123 2040.
Featured Image Credit – Royal Mail
Trending
‘Hairy men’ needed to play soldiers in returning major fantasy TV series
Thomas Melia
A huge TV series has issued an urgent casting call for, very specifically, ‘hairy men’ to play soldiers.
The exact show hasn’t been named in the casting call, but it’s definitely a major returning fantasy, and is reportedly House of the Dragon, the hit Game of Thrones spin-off.
This big on demand show is set to start filming in just two months’ time, meaning anyone considering shouldn’t wait to apply.
There are a list of key characteristics candidates should have if hoping for this role, including a great work ethic and a professional attitude, something all Mancs like to think we have.
The job description states that no prior acting experience is required, one of the only other things you need to be good at is waking up early (well that’s me out).
Most importantly, headhunters are looking for individuals to take on that have one big factor in common… lots of hair.
On the official website where you can submit your headshots and photos, you will find a mood board filled with ranging hairstyles that fit the desired look the show is going for.
Just one example of a long-haired man who fits the criteria for the returning series.Another similar hair style choice to the guide from the casting call.Credit via Unsplash
Most of the pictures on the site range from long curly locks to big bushy beards – it’s a shame Santa will be back in the North Pole by now.
All candidates must have grown-out hair, ‘overgrown scruff to longer beards’, this means no short, back and sides, or any ‘modern fades’ as stated by the casting team.
If the rumours are true and this turns out to be a shoot for House Of The Dragon, it would be great to see even more Northern talent feature in this show.
It wasn’t too long ago that fans and Mancs alike realised that actor Olivia Cooke, who plays Lady Alicent Hightower, was a local lass herself, born not too far away in Oldham.
One final and important note is that anyone who is likely to apply must make sure they’re 18+ and have a right to work in the UK.
Filming will take place across North Wales and the South East from March onwards, with rate of pay roughly £140-£300+ per day (depending on hours worked).
To apply for a chance to feature in the returning major fantasy series, you can do so by visiting the site HERE.
Greater Manchester set to be battered by ‘impactful’ heavy rain and wind this week
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester is set to be battered by some heavy rain and wind this week, according to the Met Office.
While things have seemed surprisingly more settled for the time of year over the last week or so, with clearer skies and chilly winter mornings being fairly commonplace, all that will change very soon, as the Met Office has forecasted that the UK is set to be battered by some ‘impactful’ heavy rain and strong winds as the week goes on.
Low pressure systems will bring a more ‘unsettled’ spell of weather, with a severe weather warning for wind issued for certain parts of the UK.
Today is expected to be filled with grey skies and light rain here in Greater Manchester, with cloud covering much of the rest of the country, and other outbreaks of rain elsewhere, whereas on Wednesday, the focus of rain will shift to southern England instead.
The weather looks set to turn more unsettled during the forthcoming week 🌧️ 🌬️
Thursday is where it’s set to take the biggest downturn though, as a front bringing heavy rain moves eastwards through the day, and it’s us here in North West England that are expected to see the highest accumulations too, with 20-30mm could falling over the hills, and some hill snow even possible over the Scottish mountains too.
A deep area of low pressure will also have ‘deepened rapidly’ by Thursday, bringing ‘strengthening winds’ to western parts of the UK along with it overnight, followed by more heavy rainfall.
Greater Manchester is set to be battered by ‘impactful’ heavy rain and wind this week / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
“A very deep area of low pressure will bring a very unsettled, potentially disruptive, spell of weather to the UK through Friday and into Saturday,” explained Chris Almond, who is the Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist.
“Winds will begin to strengthen on Thursday night, with the peak gusts forecast through Friday in Northern Ireland and western Scotland. The wind will also be accompanied by heavy rain bringing some unpleasant conditions to end the week.
“We have issued a Yellow weather warning for wind, and with several days before the impactful weather, the forecast details are likely to be fine-tuned during the week, so stay tuned to your local forecast and keep up to date with Met Office warnings.”
Emily Sergeant -
24th March 2021 
