Warning & Beware.

[TWR]

Our local weekly paper, a card drop's through your mail box, sorry we missed you, to retrieve your parcel ring ??????????? It turns out this elderly person rang regards this parcel, it cost her one hell of a fortune.

If you are not expecting a parcel, "Do not reply or call"

[BlackadderV]

How much did it cost her?

[Baldric]

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/11618941.BE_ALERT__Lancashire_residents_warned_over___315_parcel_scam/?ref=trn

[TWR]

Thanks Baldric.

[BlackadderV]

£315? Blimey!

[sandyRoe]

The ingenuity of thieves never ceases to amaze me. It's a pity that lady lost so much.

[hc4361]

I don't know how this keeps circulating - it is a hoax. It is impossible for anyone to be charged that amount of money for a short phone call.

http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/hoax-email-from-pds-parcel-delivery-service-nov12

[aelmpvw]

i must admit £315 for a few minutes didn't sound believable

[B00]

http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/pds.asp

[Baldric]

Just found this

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/experts/article-2052771/Is-0906-661-1911-number-undelivered-parcel-scam.html

[hc4361]

A case of very poor journalism in the OP link

[Buenchico]

While there are undoubtedly several different scams involving 'undelivered parcel' messages there are also plenty of apocryphal stories doing the rounds about people getting massive telephone bills through unwittingly calling premium rate numbers (or through, say, pressing a certain number on their keypad in response to a recorded telephone message). Such things simply can't happen (because Ofcom regulates the charging structure). Calls to numbers starting 0906 66 undeniably aren't cheap at £1.53 per minute from a BT landline but you'd have to be holding the line for nearly 3½ hours to run up a £315 bill.

Further, although the Lancashire Telegraph advises people who receive such cards to contact Royal Mail's fraud section, it might actually make more sense to contact:
(a) the police ( http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ ); and
(b) Ofcom - who can get the service disconnected.

[Buenchico]

I've been typing very slowly and missed most of the above posts.

I now see that Hc4361 has found the link that I was searching for. (I remembered reading it ages ago but thought that it was on the Ofcom website, rather than the ActionFraud one).

[Peter Pedant]

yeah it is going around Manchester -
in waves
last a few months ago