Lately, there’s a rise in delivery scams that have been making rounds on people phones requesting for administrative fees for release of parcels.
Most of the calls come from foreign numbers or numbers that look like local numbers, claiming to be DHL or some delivery company and saying a parcel belonging to you have been detained by foreign customs and in order for it to be released, you will be required to pay an administrative fee.
More recently, a 62-year old woman has been asked to remit an exorbitant US$5,660 but was lucky to be spotted by Western Union’s customer service offer which prevented the transfer from happening.
DHL Singapore has also warned about such scams on their Facebook page:
If you receive an automated call that claims to be from DHL and seems suspicious to you, please hang up and call our…
Posted by DHL Singapore on Tuesday, May 17, 2016
The Singapore Police Force had earlier put out a parcel crime/scam alert last month and advise the public to ignore and do not return to these suspicious calls or messages. You should never transfer any amount of cash or provide any personal information such as identification number, passport number, address, SingPass or bank account number.
The authorities have also set up a Scam Alert website to further educate and inform the public on the latest scams appearing in Singapore.
Whether you run a business that frequently dispatches parcels overseas or an online shopper that purchase goods overseas, it is important that you be mindful of these delivery and parcel scams and know how to recognise one when it happens.
