Warning Latest Scam

[Graysalchemy]

I have just seen this posted up on another forum and thought I would warn you all.

18 Oclober 2011

Very important

I have today received the following information from West Midlands Police:

“This is Paul Bailey, the Community Partnership Officer for Sandwell Local Policing Unit, West Midlands Police.

I have been requested by Trading Standards to inform you of the following scam as we approach the Christmas season and the number of packages and parcels increase significantly. This scam has been confirmed by the Royal mail service.

Please be aware of the following practice.

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 £315 for the phone call.

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

Please pass this information to your members, families and friends and advise them to be careful should they receive such a card through their door.

This company could easily change its name, be very careful and suspicious of any company asking you to use a premium rate number.”

Alistair

[JohnMcafee]

We all have to be vigilant in these matters of course, but this one has the whiff of urban legend about it.

Isn't there some sort of cap on these premium rate numbers - a maximum charge of £2 or £3 pounds per minute?

[Grahame Case]

lets see what Snopes has to say on the matter

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

[prospero]

I had that mail a few weeks ago. The thought occurred at the time that this might be a scam in itself. If the Police took the trouble to circulate this warning, why do they not do the same for the many other scams doing the rounds? Where do they get the e-mail addys from? Fishyfishyfishy......

Init terrible when you automatically treat all e-mails with suspicion?

I had one from Northern Rock telling me they had suspended my account and please click this link...... yeah right. Never had an account with them.