The Home Office has sparked a festive row after it appeared to replace the word "Christmas" with "holiday season" in a recent publication.
The Government department teamed up with delivery giant Evri for the launch of a new campaign on Tuesday aimed at helping Britons to avoid falling victim to delivery scams.
In a press release, it detailed advice centred around shopping ahead of December - but made no reference to the word "Christmas".
The statement was headlined: "Bargain hunters urged to Stop! Think Fraud as delivery scams surge ahead of holiday season."
It went on to say: "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.
"The Home Office and Evri have teamed up to empower shoppers with the knowledge and tools needed to spot scams before they strike by following the Government’s Stop! Think Fraud advice."
The press release included a statement from Fraud Minister, Lord Hanson, who also made reference to the "festive season".
He said: “As the festive shopping season brings excitement and pressure to act swiftly, it is more crucial than ever to protect yourself from potential scams.
Reform MP Lee Anderson criticised the Home Office for its choice of wording
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“A message that looks routine could be a scam aimed at taking your hard-earned money. Always remember: Stop! Think Fraud before acting on any delivery message or special offer."
The choice of wording has sparked criticism from Reform MP Lee Anderson.
"The Home Office cannot protect our borders, let alone our traditions," the Ashfield MP told the Express.
“It would appear that they are more concerned about not upsetting one section of society rather than mentioning the word Christmas.
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"I bet their office Christmas parties are going to be fun.”
The Home Office warned that scammers "frequently impersonate trusted courier services like Evri" ahead of the Christmas period when there is a high volume of parcels being delivered.
It said phishing remains a "key tactic", with scammers sending convincing texts or emails that appear to be from reputable delivery companies 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.
The Home Office has launched a campaign with Evri around delivery scams
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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, a successfully taking down more than 32,000, and we’d encourage consumers to keep reporting these messages."
GB News has contacted the Home Office for comment.