Evri Sounds Warning on Surge in Parcel Delivery Text Scams
Evri, a top UK delivery firm, has slammed the brakes on a sharp rise in “smishing” attacks—fraudulent texts that trick customers into handing over personal info. Scammers posing as parcel companies are getting craftier, pushing a worrying jump in reported frauds.
Smishing Scams on the Rise Amid Online Shopping Boom
Smishing works by sending fake SMS messages that impersonate trusted brands. These texts often contain links to sham websites designed to steal your data. With more Brits shopping online—especially after the pandemic—many risk falling for these clever tricks while waiting for parcels.
- Evri reports a massive 174% rise in scam texts from April 2023 to April 2024.
- Over 5,000 scam sites were shut down — a 268% jump year-on-year.
How to Spot a Smishing Scam
Spotting these fake messages isn’t always easy. Watch for common red flags:
- Generic greetings like “Dear Customer” instead of your name.
- Sloppy grammar and spelling errors.
- Email addresses or links that look slightly off or misspelled.
Evri emails come only from @evri.com addresses and never ask for payments or link outside their official evri.link domain. But fraudsters are switching to iMessage and Rich Communication Services (RCS) to avoid detection, making scams harder to spot.
Evri Urges Caution and Action
Richa Bhuttar, Evri’s Chief Information Security Officer, warns: “These criminals exploit parcel delivery’s popularity. Beware of ‘redelivery fees’ scams—Evri does not charge these and tries multiple times before returning parcels.”
If you get scammed, contact your bank or card provider immediately. Then report the fraud to Action Fraud to help stamp out these dirty tricks.
Evri vows to stay on scam hunters’ tails, urging shoppers to be alert and protect themselves in this rising tide of digital crime.
