Thursday 25 November 2010, author: admin

Dear All,
PLEASE BE AWARE OF THIS POSTAL SCAM

Royal Mail and Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam:

A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a Premium rate number).

DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize.

If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £15 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 020 7239 6655.

For more information, see the Crime Stoppers website:

http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/crime-prevention/helping-prevent-crime/scams/postal-delivery-scam

Enquiries with ICT reveal that this scam warning has been circulated in previous years, however, scams like this are very common, particularly at Christmas　
The maximum charge for premium rate 090 numbers is £1.50 per minute, but with scams like this: When you dial the number, you hear the usual ringing noise when infact the line has been answered immediately and you are being billed for listening to a recording of the ringing.

Peter Dale
Community Safety and Emergency Planning Officer,
South Hams District Council.