Commentary:
This email warning was widely circulated for several months at the beginning of 2006. However, recent submissions indicate that the warning is once again rapidly gaining momentum. The information in the message was mostly factual. However, the particular scam described in the message was shut down almost a year ago and the information is no longer relevant. ICSTIS, the UK's premium rate services regulator, has issued the following statement:

Parcel Delivery Service – Chain Email

It has come to our attention that a chain e-mail has been circulating the internet. It makes reference to the Royal Mail, the City of London Police and Parcel Delivery Services. ICSTIS appreciates that consumers want to find out more information about this alert and have issued the following statement:

During the Christmas period 2005, a number of people across the UK received cards from Parcel Delivery Services (a service run through a service provider called Studio Telecom). When ICSTIS were informed of the content and promotion of this service we invoked our Emergency Procedure - for details click this link - http://www.icstis.org.uk/service_pro...ts/default.asp) and removed access to the service (operating on 20 numbers) on 29 December 2005.

We do not believe that this service is operating again and have issued a statement to the industry to reiterate that they fulfill their responsibilities under our Code of Practice and ensure that any premium rate service running on their network abides by our regulation. Read complete statement (.pdf)


There is also no current warnings about this particular scam on either the Trading Standards website or the Royal Mail website.

In fact, as noted above, the phone numbers used in the scam were switched off by ICSTIS in December 2005 and Studio Telecom, the company responsible, was investigated. Studio Telecom was previously fined for a similar premium rate phone scheme.

When the scam was operating around December 2005, many UK householders reported receiving a card, ostensibly from a package delivery business named "Parcel Delivery Services" or "PDS". The card advised recipients to phone a number provided in order to arrange delivery of a package, claimed to be a digital camera.

However the contact number was a premium rate line that was charged at £1.50 per minute. A disclaimer in very small print on the bottom of the card informed recipients that the contact number would be charged at a premium rate. Although the cards claimed to originate from Wrexham in the UK, the company responsible for this scam is actually based in Belize, Central America.

BBC Wales reported that those who called the number were asked to answer a number of market research questions before being given a "security confirmation code" to claim their camera. Callers were therefore kept on the line for some time and charged at a rate of £1.50 per minute. Not surprisingly, none of those who lodged complaints about the scam ever received their digital camera.

Although the scam outlined in the message was true, the claim that an immediate £15 fee was charged as well as the per-minute cost is unfounded. ICSTIS notes that, "the reference to £15 is an urban myth. It is not possible for a £15 charge to be made on connection." False claims about large "instant charges" have featured in similar phone-scam warning emails.

While this particular scam has now been terminated, premium rate phone fraud is not uncommon. People should watch for similar scams that attempt to trick them into making expensive, premium rate phone calls. Service providers and premium rate phone regulators such as ICSTIS will generally provide information to consumers about premium rate scams.

A real problem with emailed warning such as this is that they often continue to circulate for months or even years after the described threat has disappeared. They also tend to mutate as they travel, further diffusing the truth and relevance of the information they contain.

Before forwarding scam warnings, recipients should always check that the warning is genuine and current. False or outdated warning emails do nothing more than add to the clutter in our already junk-ridden inboxes.