EXCLUSIVE: Reform UK MP leads backlash as department ditches festive phrase
Lee Anderson blasted the Home Office press release (Image: GB News/Getty)
Lee Anderson has blasted the Home Office after it appeared to erase the word “Christmas” in its latest publication. The department launched a new campaign on Tuesday in partnership with parcel delivery company Evri, warning Britons to be aware of delivery scams.
While the campaign is directed at those doing their shopping ahead of December, the press release repeatedly used the phrases “holiday season” or “festive season”, completely erasing the word “Christmas“. The statement was headlined: “Bargain hunters urged to Stop! Think Fraud as delivery scams surge ahead of holiday season.” It continued: “With the festive shopping season fast approaching and Black Friday just around the corner, shoppers are being warned to remain vigilant as delivery fraud reaches record levels.”
Fraud minister Lord Hanson added: “As the festive shopping season brings excitement and pressure to act swiftly, it is more crucial than ever to protect yourself from potential scams.”
The omission of the word “Christmas” was slammed by Mr Anderson, who told the Express that the department appears concerned about upsetting sections of society.
The Reform UK MP fumed: “The Home Office cannot protect our borders, let alone our traditions.
“It would appear that they are more concerned about not upsetting one section of society rather than mentioning the word Christmas.
“I bet their office Christmas parties are going to be fun.”
Social media users demanded to know “what the f*** is a holiday season?”, while others branded the language an “Americanism”.
The Home Office warns that scammers often use the busy Christmas delivery period to “impersonate trusted courier services like Evri to deceive unsuspecting victims”.
Mr Anderson criticised the Home Office’s language (Image: Lee Anderson/X)
It highlighted scammers sending convincing messages via text or email claiming that a parcel cannot be delivered or requires urgent action.
“Victims are pressured to click on suspicious links to counterfeit websites designed to mimic official delivery company websites, enter sensitive details, or make payment to receive their parcel – handing personal or financial data directly to criminals,” it said.
“By following these fraudulent instructions, victims risk identity theft and financial losses. Anyone can be a victim of fraud, no matter who you are or where you shop: there’s no ‘typical’ victim.”
Lee Howard, head of information security and information risk at Evri, said: “These criminals use what we call the ‘spray and pray’ method, taking advantage of the millions of parcels, we deliver to households every day.
“They know sending thousands of messages every day means some of them are likely to reach some people expecting a parcel, especially as parcel volumes rise over the festive period and people get busier and busier.
“Lots of these messages try to charge a ‘redelivery fee’ which is nonsense – we will attempt delivery three times before an item is returned, we will never charge a re-delivery fee.
“We work relentlessly to take down and disrupt these malicious scams, successfully taking down more than 32,000, and we’d encourage consumers to keep reporting these messages.”
The Home Office was approached for comment.
