Warning re: recorded delivery attempt to obtain your signature

[BetterBitOfButter]

Hello everyone just a warning really. I recently had an attemted fraud attempt on my current account - being on a tight budget I spotted it straight away. The bank told me the fraudsters often attempt a small online transaction and if it goes unnoticed, they then go to town on your card.

Anyway, following on from this I received a recorded delivery (which requires a signature, which can be checked on-line on the royal mail website once the letter is signed for if you have the recorded delivery reference number) which consisted of a Starbucks promotional leaflet.

Now I don't think Starbucks send out leaflets recorded delivery! And I have never been to one in my life. Luckily my husband collected it and printed his name but I believe it was an attempt to get my signature.

I may just be paranoid but it doesn't mean they're not out to get me.....

OOooh useful to know, thanks BBoB.

Gosh how worrying.
Have the bank done anything about it? I hope your account is all secure again now.

I never use my 'catual' signature on a royal mail card i always print my name.
It is helpful to print as when you are an office junior trying to clarify who signed for a letter and someone has signed it is impossible to read it! But thanks for heads up!

I wonder if you can just write, 'received' rather than a signature?

This is making me paranoid. Next time, I will just print my initial and name.

I have a different signature at the doorstep/for parcels which is just my hastily scrawled initials.

The bank refunded my money but don't know how much they are doing about it. I've emailed royal mail to see if I can get any info on who sent the recorded delivery but I don't expect to get any joy. Am thinking of contacting the place the web payment was made to to see if I can get the delivery address used and reporting it to the police myself. Am most paranoid about credit cards etc being opened in my name to a different address etc etc. I wll never use my signature on a recorded delivery from now on though just print like JackBau(etc lol) suggests.

Poor you. I will now just start printing my name for doorstep signatures. It seems to be a constant battle against identity fraud.

How horrible, thanks for sharing OP. Will defo start to use a different signature for parcels etc now.

Thanks for that - I've been signing for lots of parcels for next door from various dodgy-looking couriers (no uniform or ID, companies I've never heard of). The parcels have all been legit so far but could easily not be. Will do different scrawl on their machines in future (although the things are so crap I doubt it would pass as my sig anyway!)

Hi,
I'm not a mum, Im afraid, but am very interested in your post (above) "BetterBitOfButter" (which I picked up on a Google search). How is this for similarity.....
About a week ago, I noticed that a payment had just been taken from my credit card for £14.99 (although I had not personally used the card for 2 months). I traced the (legitimate) company who had taken the payment via an internet order, and explained to them that I most definitely had ordered nothing from them. They confirmed the card details back to me, and confirmed that whoever had placed the order had used my exact name and address, but that they had been unable to deliver the ordered items (even though they would have come to me at my address) because the "purchaser" had given a false email address. Very curious, I thought (I then knew that someone was up to no good). The company then refunded me and removed my details from the system.
I then contacted the credit card company, who closed my card account & set me up a completely new one.
2 days ago, I too received a recorded delivery envelope (signed for by my wife... luckily). It was an odd choice of envelope (a blue & red chevron-edged airmail type envelope). There was no sender address, and the label was typed & adhered by the actual sticky bits of the "signed for" labelling. When I opened it, there was a (wait for it)... not Starbuck leaflet, but a very similar type of advertising leaflet for a nuclear bunker visitor attraction in Kent!!! I really didn't think it viable, but I telephoned this attraction anyway (who of course denied EVER sending any advertising out by recorded mail)...
I am in no doubt that your suspicions are correct, and that you and I have been targeted in the same way.
I contacted the police (as the post office told me that they would possibly have video of the actual person purchasing the service... as they had a location, time and actual post office counter record for the transaction. They told me that they WOULD NOT remove the signature online record (it had not gone live by then), but they did say that if the police requested their help they would release any useful evidence or video footage...
The Metropolitan police's reaction...??? You guessed it... "We are not interested as identity fraud is not a crime until a crime is committed". So what are the chances that this fraudster HAS already committed crimes by obtaining funds fraudulently, I asked (very high one might think). I might have well have been talking to the wall...
My advice if similar things start happening to you; change all implicated accounts and join Cifas (see Moneyexpert.com) for £13-80 per year to protect your credit rating.
Beware everyone!

PS: "BetterBitOfButter"... Can you post on this thread what kind of envelope was sent (and what postmark... if you still have the letter). Mine was posted from the post office in Russell Lane, London N20. I can find no other references to this type of fraud on the net, so it might be possible that we have been both targeted by the same individual (or group). You can telephone the Post Office on 01752 387112 (national number...free on most phone packages), and they WILL tell you the post office it was posted from if you still have a record of the tracking number, or envelope with the tracking number on it).
It would be interesting if we found that ours were both sent from the same post office. Even if posted from another post office in the general area, this would still seem significant (as it seems likely that fraudsters would prefer to spread their activity out as much as possible). I feel very strongly about these particular type of low-life con artists, and would like nothing better than to seem them receive their just desserts. I am sure that you feel the same.

PPS:
The best signature anyone can place on the electronic record (when receiving a recorded item) is a clearly spelt "RECEIVED" (or might I suggest "MINNIE MOUSE" if you are feeling particularly bitter), as anything that resembles a signature might be (mistakenly or otherwise) used by a conman stealing your identity! The delivery person NEVER checks the signed record (to my experience) anyway. The service just promises that it will obtain a "signature" on delivery. No promise exists that the recipient might not be a little imaginative as to what she or he construes to be a "signature".

I have sent many items of recorded delivery in my life, I have yet to experience the Royal Mail approaching me to show me the signature of the adressee.

Just how does sending an item of recorded delivery show fraudsters a sample of your signature? Where is the link?

Unless it was not royal mail, but somebody with a van, wearing a uniform, clutching a clipboard.....

thanks, that is really interesting and worth letting us know about.

Quint - when you send an item recorded delivery you can track it on the Royal Mail website. When it's been delivered you can view a scan of the signature to show it was signed for and when.

Hmm I send lots and receive lots via recorded/Signed for - will no longer use my signature and just put something random. Thanks for the heads up.

this is amazing, thanks for the info.....i wont be signing my name any more.