Help with online security
What to do when you've received a suspicious email, call or text.
Scams are on the rise. We’re working with cyber security experts to reduce the risk to you. It is important you stay safe online to avoid being scammed, we’ve pulled together some helpful tips on how to determine if an email, text message or phone call is from Parcelforce, and how to report it if not.
What are scam emails, calls and text messages?
Fraudsters and criminals want to lure you into giving them something which they can use to their advantage.
In a scam email or text message, their goal is often to convince you to click a link (this is known as ‘phishing’). Once clicked, you may be sent to a dodgy website which could download viruses onto your computer, or steal your passwords and personal information.
Over the phone, the approach may be more direct, asking you for sensitive information, such as banking details
Don’t fall for them. If you’re ever in doubt, you can report them to our dedicated team and delete them from your inbox or message / call history.
How do I know if an email, text or phone call is from Parcelforce?
We don’t ask our customer to pay a fee via either an Email or SMS, although you may receive a customs charge letter from Parcelforce informing you that you have customs duty to pay, these letters will display all of the official Parcelforce Worldwide branding, a 17 digit reference number to pay your charge and a Charge Parcel UPI (tracking number) which you can enter on www.parcelforce.com/track-trace or www.parcelforce.com/receiving/customs-charge to confirm it’s validity.
What can you do to prevent getting caught out by a scam?
Protect your information
Never send sensitive, personal information, security details or credit card numbers by email or text.
Never click on a link in an email if you are unsure about it, especially if it asks for personal financial information like your bank details. Top-tip – hover over a link before you click on it check if the website URL looks familiar or trustworthy.
Make sure you have a spam filter on your email account.
Check if the spelling, grammar, graphic design or image is poor quality. They may use odd 'spe11lings' or 'cApiTals' in the email subject to fool your spam filter.
Make sure you trust and recognise the sender. Fraudsters often use subjects or greetings that are impersonal and general, like “Attention Parcelforce Customer”. They may use a forged email address in the "from" field like "delivery@parcelforce.com". They may even use the Parcelforce logo. None of this guarantees the email has come from us.
Beware of fraudulent payment requests
Parcelforce does not handle cash on behalf of third parties.
If you are instructed by any third party websites or contacted by email to make a payment via Western Union money transfer to a Parcelforce account or agent, DO NOT make the payment.
If you receive a suspicious email or discover a Parcelforce branded website you believe to be fraudulent, please let us know by sending an email to reportascam@parcelforce.co.uk with the suspected link included.
Typical scams to look out for.
See examples of typical scams to look out for here: www.parcelforce.com/scam-examples
How report a scam.
If you receive a suspicious email, text message, telephone call claiming to be from Parcelforce or discover a Parcelforce branded website which you think is fraudulent, please report it to reportascam@parcelforce.co.uk.
- For suspicious emails, forward the email to reportascam@parcelforce.co.uk, do not click on any links or attachments and then delete if from your inbox.
- For suspicious text messages, please send us a screenshot of the message to reportascam@parcelforce.co.uk.
- For suspicious calls or websites, please include the phone number or website address in the body of the email.
If you have been the victim of a payment scam, you can get a crime reference number by reporting it to your local Police station.
If you have clicked on a link, provided any personal data like your bank account details on a website or over the phone or you’re concerned that you’ve been compromised, you should also report the scam to Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting centre. Please note: Police Scotland (via the 101 telephone service) must be contacted for scams in or from Scotland.
To report a spam text forward the text to 7726.
You may get an automated response thanking you for the report and giving you further instructions if needed. You will not be charged for sending texts to 7726.
An easy way to remember ‘7726' is that they are the numbers on your telephone keypad that spell out the word ‘SPAM'. Visit Ofcom for more information.
