A fresh warning over a Royal Mail scam has been issued by Trading Standards.

The scam sees fraudsters attempt to steal bank details by sending a fake text.

It led to many accounts of people falling victim - including one graduate who lost thousands.

Trading Standards has said the scam is still doing the rounds.

The Argus: Hoax texts have been followed by malicious emails - and Trading Standards have issued a fresh warning Hoax texts have been followed by malicious emails - and Trading Standards have issued a fresh warning

One of their Twitter accounts said: "Beware of this #scam text claiming to be Royal Mail this is not Royal Mail. Don’t click on link."

The scam is a text message, claiming to be from Royal Mail.

It tells recipients: "Royal Mail: Your package has a £2.99 unpaid shipping fee."

It then urges recipients to click a link, with a "pay this NOW please visit" come on at the end of the message.

But Royal Mail confirmed the link will take you to a faulty site.

The website can then be used by scammers to get your details.

Advice from Royal Mail:

How to spot a fake email

Check at the top. Fraudsters often use subjects or greetings that are impersonal and general, like “Attention Royal Mail Customer”.

They may use a forged email address in the “from” field like "delivery@royalmail.com”.

They may even use the Royal Mail logo.

The sender, subject and content may change slightly but often they:

  • state there’s a parcel waiting to be collected
  • ask for payment before an item can be released for delivery
  • prompts you to open a link or document
  • asks you to send a text message or call a phone premium rate phone number

Protect your information

Never send sensitive, personal information, security details or credit card numbers by email

Never click on a link in an email if you are unsure about it, especially if it asks for personal financial information, this might attempt to install malware on to your computer

Make sure you have a spam filter on your email account

Reporting potential scams

If you receive a suspicious email or discover a Royal Mail branded website which you think is fraudulent, let them know by completing an online form.

If you have been the victim of a payment scam, you can get a crime reference number by reporting it to your local police station.