01/11/2026
Warning - Are you a WhatsApp user? Are your Facebook posts setting you up?
Last Friday I made a Facebook post mentioning receiving late post and the Royal Mail. Within 15 minutes I received a WhatsApp call from a company saying they were calling on behalf of Royal Mail as a result of my report.
RED FLAG 1 - How did they get my number?
RED FLAG 2 - When has a large organisation ever responded so quickly?
The caller had a very heavy accent. I believe they were from the Indian subcontinent. Some companies do use call centres based there but the number is reducing rapidly.
RED FLAG 3 - This part of the world specialises in telephone scams. No language barrier, smart people and a good eduction. An ideal combination.
They clearly had my post in front of them, they listened to what I said and promised steps would be taken immediately to improve things. But they didn’t have my address, how long our letters had been delayed or in fact, any useful information. He didn’t have the basic information to make such a promise.
RED FLAG 4 - How can you fix what might not be broken? How can you make promises like this so quickly without a proper investigation?
I was then told I was entitled to compensation. I said it not just me who was entitled but every other person with late post. They didn’t care. The caller was insistent I must be compensated.
RED FLAG 5 - Nobody insists on you receiving compensation.
I was then given a claims reference number to give some legitimacy. Then the fun bit started. They wanted me to go handsfree and asked for my email address. So I gave my county one. Then they assured me they didn’t want my personal details, “because they are not allowed to receive them” but a requested I download an app called “WorldRemit” - an app used for international money transfer.
RED FLAG 6 - I know of no legitimate organisation that sends compensation through an international money transfer app.
I’ll guess the next bit - I would either have been “helped” by him setting up the app and inadvertently given away my banking/card details or have downloaded a “dodgy” app and lost control of everything.
The clever bit was running this wheeze handsfree over a WhatsApp call.
Here’s where any of us could be attacked. If you complain about poor service or a product online from a large organisation, say MacDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Royal Mail, an airline etc. these scumbags will get to see it as they have AI bots to do this. Next, their bot will try and find you on an app that allows calling such as WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype etc. and you’ll receive a call. They’ll say anything to sound concerned, say they’ll fix the problem AND offer you compensation. That is bait to entice you to download an app and gain control over your credit cards and empty your bank account.
And here’s where I got really annoyed later on. Every damn government website used to report online/telephone fraud like this won’t accept such reports. They are also frustratingly hard to use, offer pathetic, largely useless advice. Yet these are the tools we use to inform the public to help make them more resilient to such attacks. When you see the shower who are in charge responding to MP’s questions you’ll understand why. Grr…
