Parcel Delivery Service - latest scam

Thank you for that warning. I have just this second taken a call from "BT" telling me there is suspicious activity on my line - indeed so!

Gosh. Thanks for posting this.

This is a "scam about a scam" I'm afraid. It's being doing the rounds every Christmas for about 15 years and here is a message from Action Fraud, who are a national body, about what you should do about it.

www.actionfraud.police.uk/news/hoax-email-from-pds-parcel-delivery-service

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE always check before posting rubbish like this.
This is NOT a scam. It is a hoax and the OP has been tricked into spreading the hoax.
I hope no other Gransnet members have “warned” others. If you have please contact them to tell them it is a hoax.
That telephone number was closed down in 2005 and the company using it fined.
So let me make this clear NEVER forward stuff that you haven’t checked.

Onthenaughtystep1,

A little harsh.
The OP had only good intentions.

Might be a little harsh, but to be honest I think it's a fair comment by Onthenaughtystep1. As Alegrias said, this hoax has been doing the round for years and years. I'm surprised that anyone would be seeing it for the first time this year

Blimey that's me well and truly told ! Can see now why a previous poster took the action she did . Also, for what it's worth, this is the first time I've seen it - obviously not been around as much as you !

Thank you Spinnaker for trying to do something helpful. It is appreciated.

Spinnaker I was trying to be respectful and point everyone in the direction of the latest information about this. I hope that came across in my post.

Thank you Luckygirl

Thank you Alegrias2. Your post didn't at all come across disrespectfully or your choice of words. I find it difficult to understand those that don't choose their words carefully - we're all only human after all.

Well I've never heard of it before either

I've never seen this before either - thanks to all concerned for confirming what is going on. Just goes to show that once something gets out into the ether these days it's impossible to put back in the box.

I would never have suspected a scam about the PDS, so had I seen one I might have been taken in even though I would normally never phone any number I don't know.

Well I am truly sorry Spinnaker to have upset you. I hadn't meant to - it's just that I was - am - genuinely amazed that there are still people who haven't come across this hoax before. But the evidence of this thread suggests that this is new to a lot of people.

As SuzannahM says, it seems it is impossible to put these things back in the box, no matter how many websites debunk them, time and time again, year in year out.

I have never seen this before, so thank you to the well-intentioned posters who are attempting to warn others of scams, true or false.
At least it makes one question phone calls and emails; no harm done.

Thank you Bathsheba

Thank you Spinnaker, I haven’t seen it before either. Sorry the know it alls have butted in again. If everyone presumed everybody knew everything then nobody would know anything, if you understand what I mean. ?

Well I don't know if this is a scam or a hoax or what BUT......... 3 weeks ago and then 2 weeks ago I had an e.mail purporting to come from PDS. It said that it had twice tried to deliver my parcel but were unable to do so. (strange that I had not ordered anything from anyone), (also strange that I had not left the house at all during the past week) It asked me to fill in a form to request a further attempt at delivery (strange that the form asked for my postal address, which surely they already had??) Finally it asked for my bank details so that they could claim (I think it was) £3.81, the fee for an extra delivery attempt.

Highly suspicious that I was being asked for my address and bank details, I immediately deleted both these e.mails, but then worried that perhaps some one else had sent me something as a present or surprise!

I have also been deleting a recurring e.mail from Boots (the chemists) which invites me to review my purchase there and then get a gift worth £90. I deleted that on the grounds that it was "too good to be true". Did I do the right thing?

I’ve never seen it before, either.

I haven't heard of this scam/hoax either. We certainly have to stay alert these days.

Spinnaker Thank you for being kind enough to pass this on, even though it turned out to be a hoax. Personally I have never seen it before. Some good has come out of it though. I'm reliably informed that 090 numbers are very expensive.

Not everyone is aware of every scam, and it was good of Spinnaker to alert people. Surely it is obvious that not everyone is aware of this scam? If we all did, then the fraudsters would not trot it out every couple of years. Some people must fall for it, and can you imagine the drama if someone on here did get hoiked in by a scam and then someone else said that they knew about it but assumed that nobody needed warning? No harm in a quick reminder to be aware, whether or not this is a current active scam or, as claimed, has been disbanded.

Although it was right for the original poster to be informed that the what they printed was a hoax, it’s very unfair to infer that they are silly to not have heard of it before.

There are ways of wording a warning without making anyone feel stupid, aren’t there?

There was a similar incident a few weeks ago which caused a couple of members to leave. It would be a great shame if people were afraid to post a warning in case they were ridiculed.

I for one am very grateful to read of any scam/hoax.

Spinnaker. Thank you so much for posting this. I have never heard of this before and I don't really care if it's a scam or a hoax. I'm now a bit wiser.