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Mail and courier fraud exploits the physical post and parcel network — and the trust we place in couriers and delivery notices. Tactics include sending a 'courier' to collect bank cards or cash, stealing mail to commit identity theft, washing and re-writing stolen cheques, and fake redelivery cards or parcel-locker messages that lead to phishing pages. Protect yourself by never handing cards or cash to a caller's courier, securing your mailbox, tracking deliveries only through the carrier's official app, and reporting stolen mail promptly.
Fraudsters impersonate police or bank fraud teams by phone, claim your card is compromised, and send a fake courier to your door to collect your card and PIN.
Criminals steal physical mail from letterboxes or communal areas to harvest personal data — account statements, cards, and official letters — and commit identity fraud.
Criminals intercept mailed checks, chemically erase the ink, and rewrite the payee name and amount before cashing or depositing them fraudulently.
Fraudsters intercept checks in transit — often by compromising postal workers, mail facilities, or using fraudulent mail-forwarding requests — and divert them for cashing.
Fraudsters send fake notifications claiming a parcel is waiting in a locker, directing victims to fake websites that harvest credentials or payment card details.
Criminals place counterfeit 'we missed you' delivery cards through letterboxes, directing victims to phishing sites or premium-rate phone lines to 'rebook' a delivery.
Fraudsters redirect parcels in transit to a different address — by hacking delivery accounts, contacting courier support, or intercepting tracking notifications — to steal goods.
Criminals file fraudulent mail-forwarding requests in a victim's name, redirecting all their post to an address the fraudster controls to harvest identity documents and financial mail.
Fraudsters sell fake postage stamps or postage labels online at discounted prices; items sent with counterfeit postage are returned to senders or attract surcharge fees.
Fraudsters advertise non-existent PO boxes or mail-handling addresses, collect rental fees, and never provide any postal service — leaving victims without mail access.
Opportunistic thieves monitor delivery drivers and steal unattended parcels from doorsteps, porches, and communal entrance areas shortly after delivery.
Criminals recruit victims as 'package managers' or home-based couriers, using them to receive, repackage, and reship fraudulently purchased goods to conceal the crime trail.