POLICE are warning residents to be aware of a new scam.

They say that text messages claiming to be from either Royal Mail or DPD are being sent to people advising them that their parcel is waiting to be delivered and requires a small fee to release it, providing a link to a fake website.

The website then asks for the victim’s personal banking information in payment for the parcel. Once the victim has entered their card details, in the following days the scammers contact the victim claiming to work for their bank.

They will convince the victim that there has been some suspicious activity on their account and that they need to move their money to a safer one to protect their assets.

The victim will then be given a sort code and account number to transfer their money into and it will look as if this new account has been set up in the victim’s name, but it is actually under the criminal’s control.

A spokesperson from the force, said: "We are urging members of the public to be vigilant against these scams and to be aware that the bank or police will never ask you to move or pay money.

"If you do receive a suspicious email or text appearing to come from a parcel delivery company, do not click on the link and contact the delivery company directly. However, if you have already clicked on the link, remember to check the URL of the website you’ve been taken to.

"If you have already gone through the process on the fake website and fraudsters try to make contact with you, terminate the call immediately and contact your bank or the police using a different phone if possible."

Anyone who thinks they might be a victim of this type of crime is asked to call North Yorkshire Police. Dial 101, press 1 and speak to our Force Control Room.