A message, claiming to be from Royal Mail, tells the recipient they owe a fee for a parcel delivery. It says: “Royal Mail: your package has a £2.99 shipping fee.”
The text or email then includes a link to a fake Royal Mail website.
The message adds: “Actions will be taken if you do not pay this fee.”
Royal Mail warned people against falling for the con.
A spokesperson said: “Royal Mail will only send email and SMS notifications to customers where the sender has requested this when using our trackable products that offer this service.
It stated services are running in all parts of the UK but some towns could be experiencing delays.
A Royal Mail statement issued on Wednesday said: “We’re delivering and collecting mail in all parts of the UK today.
“However, deliveries may be disrupted in some areas due to resourcing issues at some of our delivery offices.”
It explained resourcing issues may have affected mail being delivered to a number of postcodes.
The statement continued: “Due to resourcing issues, associated self-isolation and safety measures, deliveries in the following areas are likely to be disrupted this week.
“In those areas that are temporarily affected by very high levels of absence, customers can expect deliveries at least every other day.
“It will only be in extreme cases when this may not be possible, but these are the exceptions and are listed below.
“We’re sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. We’re working hard to deliver as comprehensive a service as possible with the resource available to support these offices. And we’re ensuring we prioritise delivery of vaccination letters.”
