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THE SCAM MAY BE ESPECIALLY CONVINCING FOR PEOPLE WHO OFTEN SHOP ONLINE DO YOU RECEIVE THE CONNEXION'S FREE WEEKDAY NEWSLETTER? Sign up here People in France are warned to be alert to a

new scam, in which people receive an SMS stating that a parcel for them is ready for delivery, but “will not fit in your letterbox”. The text may appear to come from parcel delivery

companies such as Mondial Relay or Chronopost, and may be especially convincing for people who often shop online and receive parcels regularly. It may read something along the lines of:

“Bonjour, c’est le livreur, votre colis ne rentrait pas dans la boîte aux lettres” (Hello, it is the delivery [driver/company], your parcel did not fit in your letterbox). However, the text

is a scam designed to steal your bank details, in a technique known as ‘phishing’ (hameçonnage in French). Read also: New scam alert in France over ‘Your parcel has been sent’ texts  HOW

DOES THE SCAM WORK? It tells recipients that their parcel is too big to fit in their letterbox, and asks them to click on a link to choose a new delivery slot for at-home, in-person handover

at an additional cost. This link takes people to a page that looks almost identical to a genuine parcel delivery company site.  Users are then invited to enter their details, including

email address, telephone number, and bank details. In reality, there is no parcel, and the text is simply a scheme to steal your money. Read also: ‘Smishing’: Warning over this common

scamming trick in France Read also: Scam alert in France: ‘Unpaid driving fine’ SMS with fake link WHAT IF I RECEIVE THIS TEXT?  In general, it is never a good idea to click on a link that

comes ‘out of the blue’ via text, especially if it asks you for personal and banking details.  Pay close attention to details such as spelling and grammar, and the telephone number of the

text sender. If these appear strange, incorrect, or unknown, this is a clue it could be a scam. Similarly, pay close attention to details on the website, including double checking the URL

address, or quality of images. If in doubt, never click on a link from a text, and instead check for yourself by typing the address in manually using a new browser window. Read also: Beware:

New text message scam targets French tax return season  As a general rule, neither La Poste, Chronopost, nor Mondial Relay (or any other delivery company) will ask you to pay for a parcel

delivery via text. You can report scams - and check for existing scams - at the websites signal-arnaques.com or cybermalveillance.gouv.fr. If you believe you have fallen victim to a scam,

notify your bank immediately and report it to the above sites.