An old Christmas postal 'scam' warning from 2005 has resurfaced on Facebook, garnering nearly 20,000 shares.
The now-defunct alleged fraud concerned a premium-rate number.
Buckinghamshire & Surrey Trading Standards shared the warning on Facebook, telling residents not to believe it.
The warnings, resembling a 'zombie claim' - a repeatedly debunked false claim - routinely appear on social media.
Despite the scam being inactive for almost two decades, the alerts usually surface in the run-up to Christmas.
A typical post features an image message from Royal Mail and The Trading Standards Office, alerting people about the scheme.
The circulation of this unfounded caution exemplifies a misstep in the spread of online information.
The advice given is if you receive the spurious warning via message or email, simply delete it and refrain from forwarding or sharing it on Facebook.
Buckinghamshire Trading Standards said: "If you receive this via a message or email just delete it and do not forward it to anyone. If you see a post on Facebook, do not share it."
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