Royal Mail has announced it has launched a new initiative to protect its customers from scam mailshots.

Royal Mail claims that it has successfully stopped more than 700,000 scam items from reaching customers since November last year, when a new industry wide code of practice was introduced on this matter.

As part of its strategy, the postal operator is to begin proactively contacting households by Special Delivery that it believes are receiving unusually high volumes of scam mail in the post.

Initially the anti-scam initiative is to focus on the customers who are most impacted though plans are in place to extend the programme in due course.

Royal Mail has said that under the scheme it will block and impound scam mail at its distribution centres, so it doesn’t reach the person’s mail box. However, “legitimate business and personal mail will continue to be delivered to the customer in the usual way”.

“Impacted customers will be able to contact a dedicated Royal Mail helpline, email or Freepost address for more information if they have any concerns or arrange a home visit from Royal Mail staff,” said Royal Mail.

“Separately, working with an overseas postal operator, letters sent by UK residents to a known scam operation in Europe have been successfully intercepted. The letters, which contained cash sums, are being returned to the householders.”

 
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