Parcel Delivery Service (PDS)

full-time-mum

I recieved this warning in an email from our NeighbourHood Watch...

"If you receive a card through your door from a company called Parcel Delivery Service (PDS) saying that you have a parcel awaiting delivery and asking you to ring a number, please DO NOT RING the contact number they give you. This is a mail scam. The service is under investigation and we would ask that you contact Royal Mail Fraud on 0207 239 6655 or your local Trading Standards Office."

There was no indication as to whether this is a local thing nor the consequences of ringing but I'm guessing extortionate call costs.

If it is local, then I guess it is very likely that there are similar scams in other areas but perhaps with different names. If you aren't expecting a parcel then tread very carefully.

paul_h

I've heard of this PDS scam, it seems that the number on the card you have to ring is a 0900 premium rate number which keeps you on hold, racking up £££ in call charges.

I believe the cards have appeared in a number of places around the country, so it's not just local - the advise above to be suspicious if you are not expecting a delivery is sound, but the premium rate number is a dead giveaway.

Reporting them will help ICSTIS (the premium rate line regulator) close them down, but they soon reappear with a different number.

full-time-mum

paul_h wrote:

Reporting them will help ICSTIS (the premium rate line regulator) close them down, but they soon reappear with a different number.

Dilema then... report them and get them closed or leave them be as at least the exact number can be posted around with a warning...

paul_h

full-time-mum wrote:

Dilema then... report them and get them closed or leave them be as at least the exact number can be posted around with a warning...

The problem is ICSTIS seem to be only capable of shutting them down - this is fraud on a major scale and the instigators should be prosecuted. :mad:

Seakay

looks like this warning (in itself a fraud/scam) is still doing the rounds:

http://www.computeractive.co.uk/articles/print/2168900

Browntoa

and a quick search throws up 2 threads in the last few days about the same myth

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=296784

anohter one about 7 threads down from this one

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=579375

Markyt

!!!!!! How Many Times?

trisontana

This "warning" is spreading like the plague on the web. It's appearing in local newspapers, message boards and Neighbourhood-Watch Websites. I have actually joined some of the forums that have mentioned this email to tell the members it's all nonsense. Usually I get the stupid answer "even though the scam was closed down it's still best to warn people about it" !!!

If you take that answer to its logical conclusion you you might as well keep warning people about being held-up by highwaymen or being bombed by Zeppelins.