Australia Post customers are being warned of a convincing scam that police say you may not even know you’ve fallen victim to until “debt collectors come knocking”.

The hoax sees you receive a text message with a link attached, all aimed at gaining access to your personal details. However, while the link will take you to a fake page, it may appear in a legitimate Australia Post message thread – making it almost impossible to realise you’re being scammed until it’s too late.

The web page attached to the link will tell you that the service is having trouble delivering your package, before requesting you hand over your personal details so they can continue with the delivery.

“In this convincing scam, the text messages appears in the same text thread as legitimate Australia Post communications giving you a sense of trust,” Queensland Police warned. “Once you click on the link however, you will be led to a fake website asking for personal particulars and sometimes a payment.”

The police said they have received a number of reports of people falling victim to the scam as well as other similar ones using other well-known brands. They now hope the fresh warning will help make people more aware of the dangers of handing over their details online.

“Unfortunately, it has become very easy for cybercriminals to steal your personal details and carry out illegal activities in your name,” they added in a statement. “These cybercriminals also use your identity to apply for credit in your name which you do not know about until the debt collectors come knocking.”

Offering advice on how best to avoid the scam, they recommended extra vigilance when receiving text messages from a company – while never clicking on links or attachments in unexpected texts or emails. If you’re unsure, it’s best to call the company directly.

“If you are concerned that you have had your ID compromised contact IDCare on 1300 432 273 who can provide you with the best advice on how to respond to identity theft,” Queensland Police added.

Australia Post first warned of the scam a few weeks ago, telling customers in a statement: “Please note that Australia Post will never email or text message you asking you to click on a link to print out a receipt/label for parcel collection/tracking or to access your package. Nor will Australia Post ask you to send an email containing any personal or financial information, including any form of ID, passwords, credit card details and account information. If you are in doubt about the authenticity of an email, text message or phone call, please delete immediately or hang up.”

Here’s some examples of what the scam may look like:

If you are suspicious about a ‘missed’ parcel delivery email, call the company directly to verify the correspondence is genuine.