Evri issues warning about huge rise in smishing scams – here’s what to watch out for

A huge rise in the number of scam text messages being sent impersonating parcel delivery companies has prompted an industry giant to issue an urgent warning to customers.

Evri has issued a warning about the growing sophistication of scammers and the continued rise in scams reported by customers.

Parcel and package delivery scams have become the most common type of text message “smishing.”

Criminals use smishing to target consumers with text messages that impersonate trusted organizations and often contain a link to a fraudulent website.

It replicates the company’s legitimate site and asks consumers to enter their personal and financial information.

With millions of people now comfortable with online ordering in Britain, some will unknowingly fall into the trap, especially if they are expecting a delivery.

Evri said it had seen a 174 percent increase in reported scams from April 2023 to April 2024 and had shut down more than 5,000 scam sites, a 268 percent year-on-year increase.

There are some telltale signs of a scam message, including poorly written sentences riddled with grammatical errors.

There also tends to be a lack of personal greetings and scammers often use “Dear customer” or “Dear (your email address)” instead of using your name.

The email address will usually be different from your regular email address, with a slight misspelling or different formatting.

Evri typically sends emails from @evri.com and text messages will not display a mobile phone number, never request payment, or include any links other than evri.link.

However, Evri said scammers are becoming more sophisticated and using techniques to bypass defensive measures.

Customers should now watch for an increase in messages coming through iMessage, Apple’s messaging service, and Rich Communication Services (RCS), a similar technology used in Google’s Android phones.

These services are much harder to detect because, while good for personal privacy, they are harder to detect than text messages looking for malicious links.

It means that scammers choose to use these services and have a greater chance of getting their messages across.

“These criminals use the ‘spray and pray’ method, taking advantage of the millions of packages we deliver to homes every day,” Richa Bhuttar, chief information security officer at Evri, told This is Money.

‘They know that sending thousands of messages each day means that some of them are more likely to reach people waiting for a package.

‘Many of these messages try to charge a ‘resend fee’ which makes no sense – we will attempt delivery three times before an item is returned and there is no charge.

“Gmail and Hotmail have managed to divert phishing emails to quarantine folders, while smaller email providers appear to be less effective because their maturity is not at the same level.”

If you believe you have been a victim of this type of scam, you should speak to your bank or card provider immediately and report the scam to Action Fraud.

Have you been a victim of a delivery scam? Get in touch: editor@thisismoney.co.uk