Anyone with an email account in the UK would be wise to check their inbox and pop some messages straight into the bin. That's due to a worrying new campaign that is targeting British accounts and it's easy to see why some are being duped. The fake emails appear to be coming from the Royal Mail and suggest that there's been a failed delivery with a small fee that needs to be paid to get things sent out again.

To make things appear even more urgent, the message suggests that it's an important HM Revenue & Customs delivery that's been missed.

Of course, there is no package and the message is simply engineered to get unsuspecting consumers to hand over personal data including their bank account details. This type of cyber trick is nothing new but it appears it's a growing issue with thousands recently targeted.

The UK's online reporting service, Action Fraud, has confirmed the issue via a post on X (formerly Twitter) with the team saying they have been inundated with reports. "Action Fraud has received over 5,100 reports about fake emails purporting to be from Royal Mail.

"The emails claim that the recipient has missed a delivery and that a parcel is waiting for them. The links in the emails led to genuine-looking Royal Mail websites that are designed to steal personal and financial information."

If you get a message that suggests you've missed a delivery from HM Revenue & Customs be on high alert as it's likely to be a scam and you could end up losing large amounts of money.

Along with Action Fraud, the Royal Mail also has a dedicated help section on its website which offers advice on how to stop becoming a victim of cyber crime.

"Fraudsters and criminals want to lure you into giving them something which they can use to their advantage," the Royal Mail said.

"In a scam email or text message, their goal is often to convince you to click a link (this is known as ‘phishing’). Once clicked, you may be sent to a dodgy website which could download viruses onto your computer, or steal your passwords and personal information.

"Don’t fall for them. If you’re ever in doubt, you can report them to our dedicated team and delete them from your inbox or message / call history."