Early birthday present!!!

[oursin]

Two, in fact:

Covid booster and flu shot.

Had text saying my GP was offering the first, but with really weird time slots when I logged in via the link, and then had texts and emails from NHS offering chance to book both at local pharmacies, so partner and I both booked for first day available, which was today, at the nearest chemists.

Have been and got them and come back.

***

In other news, this morning I had a rather bizarre text purporting to come from Royal Mail, except Royal Mail texts usually say Royal Mail rather than [number]*, and claiming they had parcel for me which they could not deliver because of problem with the address, could I follow link and give right address?

While the link was quite a convincing mockup of a Royal Mail site, there was something just a bit off about the form, and the URL was royalpost rather than royalmail, so I am pretty sure this was some kind of scam, I am just not entirely sure what the point of getting my address is.

Do they then come back to me saying, alas and woe, insufficient postage, please to cough up difference?

A little further running and finding out suggests that the website and the number are in hinky territory, without any actual claims of malfeasance being stated.

*Amusingly, Malwarebytes have been given to mark actual Royal Mail texts as potentially dodgy, because they often contain the link to the tracking site presumably, but didn't pick up this one....

Comments

[ranunculus]

That package scam has been running here for about a month. Made me look twice because I was waiting for a package, but like you I was highly suspicious.

[oursin]

I was expecting a couple of packages, but with Royal Mail tracking codes I could look up.

[rydra_wong]

Yay jabs!

[pameladean]

I've been getting those allegedly from both USPS and CanadaPost. Oh, and UPS. If that particular situation ever happens I'll be SOL, because I just assume all such emails are scams now.

I've also been getting repeated emails from Amazon telling me that my Prime subscription is renewing on such-and-such a date (different date each time; and it isn't, I know the date, go along with you) and my payment method is out of date. It's a very good replica of an Amazon email, except that way down at the bottom there's a link to the "Help Centre". From Amazon in the US. Uh-huh.

It's kind of funny, but I still really loathe these parasites.

P.

P.

[kore]

Aww yay vaccines! I should schedule ours....

[cofax7]

I generally assume all texts from numbers not in my contacts are scams.

[sgac]

There's a similar package scam in Australia. I read today something like 80% of all Australians have received texts that purport to be from Australia Post. I certainly have, and I delete them smug in the knowledge that the real Australia Post always email rather than text.

The other common text scam is over toll roads - there are none in my state, and I don't even drive.

[lokifan]

Yay jabs!

I wonder if it's to connect your name and address to your phone number via the link you followed, for purposes of identity fraud?

[snippy]

I've had my COVID vaccination and have to wait 6 weeks before getting the flu vaccination on doctor's orders. Trying to get them both done before I have jury duty in mid-November means every day counts.

[oursin]

That's very tiresome. I'm feeling a bit blah at the moment from having both but at least it's over with.