Harrogate district residents expecting deliveries over the holiday period are being targeted by fraudsters.

North Yorkshire Police has received 24 reports of the scam since November an dis urging people to be vigilant over the festive season.

The scammers have been sending messages saying delivery slots with parcel delivery firm DPD have been missed. The message includes a link to rearrange a delivery time.

The victim is then asked to pay a small sum to rearrange delivery. If they agree, they often then receive another call purporting to be from their bank alerting them to suspicious activity.

The victim is then asked to transfer their money to an account they believe to be secure, but to which the scammers have access.

The conmen are taking advantage of the popularity of delivery services in the run up to Christmas.

Read more:

• Doorstep scams were on the rise over lockdown. 
• Puppy scammers target Harrogate mum and her disabled daughter. 

Andy Fox, financial abuse safeguarding officer at North Yorkshire Police, said:

“If you receive an email purporting to be from DPD, check the sender. DPD has confirmed genuine emails will only come from the following addresses: dpd.co.uk, dpdlocal.co.uk or dpdgroup.co.uk and that they will never ask you to pay for a redelivery.

“Be very careful before clicking on any links in an email and if you are in any doubt, check the company’s website for details of any known scams. If you have received an email which you’re unsure about, you can report it to report@phising.gov.uk. You can report suspicious text messages by forwarding them to 7726.”

The police have also received reports that the fraudsters have gained enough information over the phone to take out a loan in the victim’s name. This is then transferred to a bank account they control.

The police have encouraged anyone that has been caught out by this scam to contact their bank immediately and report it to the force on 101.

A scammer pretending to be a police officer has targeted households in the Harrogate area.

Several residents in the town have reported calls from a ‘DC Mason Greenwood’ who claims to work for West Yorkshire Police or the Metropolitan Police.

He goes on to tell the residents that their nephew or grandson is in custody and has their bank cards as well as other stolen bank cards.

Read more:

• Air ambulance called to medical emergency in Ripon
• Police appeal for witnesses after fatal accident near Ripon
• £100 fines for not wearing face masks ‘a last resort’, say police

North Yorkshire Police has recorded 12 incidents in the past week and is currently attempting to identify the caller.

Andy Fox, North Yorkshire Police financial abuse safeguarding officer, said:

“This is yet another example of a scam call designed to obtain full bank account details from an unsuspecting victim. You can protect yourself from scam calls by fitting a call blocker or speak to your phone provider as to what call blocking options they offer.”

The police have issued a warning today and said that they will never ask someone for their account details over the phone.

Mr Fox continued: “If you are in any doubt about who you are speaking to, terminate the call immediately and call 101 from a different phone.”