Case File: The Parcel Delivery Text That Steals Your Bank Code
Every Thursday we take one real scam and break it down so you can spot it. This week it's the parcel delivery text, and it's worth understanding because it doesn't rely on anything clever. It relies on timing.
It usually starts mid-afternoon, when you're busy. A text arrives saying a parcel is waiting and there's a small fee to release it. Often it's a courier firm you genuinely use, and the fee is tiny, something like one pound ninety-nine. That small amount is deliberate. It's low enough that you don't stop to question it.
You tap the link and land on a page that looks like the courier's site. You enter your name, address and card details. Then it asks you to confirm with a code sent to your phone by your bank.
This is the part people miss. That code isn't confirming a ninety-nine pence payment. It authorises whatever the fraudster has already set up, often a payment to a new payee they've just added to your account. The code is real. The text is not. That gap is where the money goes.
It affects anyone who shops online, but reports skew towards people expecting a delivery that week and those less familiar with how bank confirmation codes work.
If you think you've shared a code, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card. Not a number from the text, and not one from a search result. Acting fast gives you the best chance of stopping the payment.
Our takeaway is simple. A bank will never send you a code to confirm a payment to a company you haven't set up yourself. If a code arrives and you didn't start the payment, stop and call your bank on the number printed on your card.
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