'Smishing' scam involving fake messages purporting to be from Royal Mail or courier firms flagged by Highland Council trading standards

Highland Council's trading standards team have been alerted to a 'smishing' scam that is currently targeting the region's residents.

The scam involves a text message claiming to be from Royal Mail advising the recipient that they are holding a piece of mail due to unpaid postage.

In order to deliver the item, the recipient is invited to click on a link to make a payment for the outstanding postage.The recipient is then asked for their name, address and bank details.

Trading Standards team leader Mark McGinty said: “This appears to be a smishing scam, a type of scam that uses a text message in order to obtain personal and financial information from unsuspecting victims. I would urge everyone to be wary of unexpected text messages claiming to be from organisations such as Royal Mail or courier companies and to avoid clicking on any links unless they are 100 percent sure that the message is genuine.”

Outstanding fees for unpaid postage can be paid online via the Royal Mail website at www.royalmail.com.

Smishing is a portmanteau of 'SMS' (short message services, better known as texting) and 'phishing'. When cybercriminals 'phish', they send fraudulent emails that seek to trick the recipient into opening a malware-laden attachment or clicking on a malicious link. Smishing simply uses text messages instead of email.

For further advice consumers can contact the Scottish Government's Consumer Advice provider https://consumeradvice.scot or if you feel you are a victim of a scam please contact Police Scotland on 101.

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