Scam alert: fake DPD ‘missing address’ emails

As people are expecting more parcels at this time of year, scammers know there’s a chance many of us might be more likely to hand over information or payment in return for a package that’s waiting to be delivered.

This email looks like it’s from courier company DPD, but it’s fake. It’s a phishing attempt, aiming to steal valuable details.

Spotting a DPD phishing email

The link takes the recipient of the email to a page that requests more personal information. There are two classic giveaways that this email isn’t real.

Firstly, when we clicked on the sender’s email address, it wasn’t from a DPD email address, but from ‘@telenet.be.’

Secondly, there is the spelling mistake in the email’s title. ‘Reassing’ isn’t a word, and probably a misspelling of ‘reassessing.’ An official DPD email shouldn’t contain basic mistakes like this.

A few similar phishing emails have been circulating for some time, including ones that claim to be from the Royal Mail and courier firm DHL. All of them try to trick you into giving away payment or personal details.

A spokesperson for DPD told us:

We are aware that there have been a number of fake DPD emails trying to get consumers to send money for parcels to be re-directed or re-delivered. We would never do this nor would we ask consumers to give us their bank details.

There is an easy way to check the email is safe, only emails sent from one of three DPD email addresses are genuine, these are dpd.co.uk, dpdlocal.co.uk or dpdgroup.co.uk.

Fake or scam emails are nearly always sent from a private email address and certainly not from an official DPD one.

Consumers should always check the sender’s email address and check the message has come from a valid DPD address i.e. dpd.co.uk, dpdlocal.co.uk or dpdgroup.co.uk

Any other sender email address, especially if the email is asking for money is highly likely to be a scam email.

We would encourage anyone who has received a fake email to report it to report@phishing.gov.uk.

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Guide: how to spot a scam email

Dealing with scam emails

If you’re not 100% sure whether an email is really from a courier because you’re expecting a delivery, see if you can check the reference or tracking number and whether it matches the order you’re waiting for.

You can also contact the delivery company directly to check whether the email is real. 

If you have given away any personal details after receiving a message like this, let your bank know immediately, and also keep an eye out for any unusual bills or accounts that might have been set up in your name. One way to do this is by regularly checking your credit file.

Guide: getting your money back after a scam

Once you’ve let your bank know, it should watch your account for fraudulent activity or can give you new card or account details altogether.