Delivery service, DPD Ireland has issued a warning to customers purchasing online to be cautious in the lead up to the busiest online shopping period of the year.
Chief Executive, Des Travers said: “The industry is aware of the increased number of fraudulent scams by text and email that target our customers, purporting to be from us or other parcel delivery companies and we ask all shoppers to be extra vigilant.
"DPD Ireland will never request payment over the phone, by text or email regarding re-deliveries. The exemption is when VAT or excise duty needs to be paid and you will receive an official email from us advising of same.”
The company reported its busiest night of the year on 15th November and expects the numbers to increase from now on.
Mr Travers said: “The volume is projected to exceed last year while we continue to maintain a service level in excess of 99%.
Planning, staffing and routing details have been underway for months in preparation for the busiest time of the year.”
Bank of Ireland issued similar warnings to their customers last week.
Nicola Sadlier, Bank of Ireland Head of Fraud, said: “We are already starting to hear about Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, but shoppers need to be extra vigilant for fraud.
Fraudsters like to inject an element of urgency into their offers or fake adverts, but don’t rush a transaction without checking things properly first.”
She added: “Verify if websites and apps are legitimate and be extremely careful with online adverts, texts or e-mails. Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it’s probably fraud.”
Bank of Ireland gave this advice to customers ahead of Black Friday/Cyber Monday:
- Think before you click – make sure you double check website addresses for anything unusual.
- Be careful with links in emails and texts – remember that fake links or ads could lead you to a fraudulent website or contain malicious software.
- Use trusted websites – check that the ‘https’ and the lock symbol is displayed, this needs to be in your browser address window when entering your card details or any personal information.
- On a mobile device use trusted apps – it can be difficult to see the full web address on mobile if you are using a web browser so instead stick with trusted apps.
- Use up to date anti-virus software on your computer – this will help protect it against malware.