Hertfordshire Constabulary is reminding everyone in the county including Hitchin to stay vigilant following reports of scam text and email messages which appeared to be from parcel delivery companies.

The messages appear to be from couriers like DPD and Royal Mail, stating that they have tried to deliver a parcel and asking you to click a link to reschedule the delivery.

The link directs you to an authentic looking website, which asks for your full name, address, date of birth and mobile number. Upon completion of the form, you are then asked to enter full credit card details.

In recent reports the fraudsters have gone a step further as they are calling victims who have passed on their details back some days after the first scam, claiming to be from the victim's bank.

The fraudster claims to be investigating the delivery fraud, saying that there has been an attempt to take money again and that they need to transfer their money to a safe account.

Some of the victims have been scammed twice as the fraudsters are able to convince them they are genuine due to having all the original information from the first scam.

It's possible the scammer can clone the telephone number of the bank, therefore along with the information they have already acquired from the original scam, it can be difficult to realise that the call is not genuine.

Last week nine victims were targeted in the county with two of those receiving follow up calls, one losing £7,500 and the other £8,973.

Detective Inspector Rob Burns, from Hertfordshire Constabulary's Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit, said: "This scam is catching a lot of people out, with many expecting parcel deliveries in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

"The fraudsters are becoming even bolder in recent weeks calling back victims who have given them their details, in an attempt to extract more money from them.

"It's important to check the details in the messages and make sure it is genuinely related to an item you have ordered. Does the message use your name, rather than an email address? Does it mention the goods or company you have ordered items from? If in doubt do not click the link and contact the vendor directly via their website.

"Remember that a bank will never contact you and ask you to move money to another account. If you are in any doubt end the call or ignore messages of this nature and contact your bank directly, either using a phone number you know is genuine or through their website.

"Remember to wait at least five minutes before attempting to make the call to ensure you're not reconnected to the offender. Alternatively, use a different phone or test your landline by phoning a friend or relative first, to ensure you aren't still unwittingly connected to the offender.

"Please help us to raise awareness by talking about this with your friends and family, especially if they are vulnerable or elderly."

If you believe that you are a victim of this scam please report online to actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.