It’s that time of year! With 57 percent of consumers expected to do their Christmas shopping online this year, who among us is not waiting for a package to arrive? This explains why so many of us are beginning to see strange text and email messages warning us that our package was delayed and needs further information to process. Don’t click on those links until you read this!
Major mail carriers such as USPS and UPS, as well as big shipping companies like Amazon and Walmart are warning consumers to be vigilant about any communications they may receive about their account or pending deliveries. Whether they be via text message (smishing), or email (phishing), here are a few telltale clues that give away scammers before they can do you harm.
USPS
The U.S. Postal Services warns consumers to be on the lookout for one of the most common text message scams purporting to be from the post office saying they are unable to deliver a package because of some problem, such as an incorrect address.
Here’s an example of one of these texts that I received this morning:
“USPS package cannot be delivered due to incorrect address information. Please update your address and we will deliver it as soon as possible.”
The text contains a link, followed by a very wordy set of instructions about replying “Y” to the message, then exiting the text and reopening the link in a browser, etc.
According to USPS, they will never send customers a text messages or e-mail without a customer first requesting the service with a tracking number, and it will NOT contain a link.
In order to receive tracking from USPS, you have to request it. If you did request it, USPS uses a 5-digit short code to send and receive text messages to and from cell phones.
Even though I am waiting for some very important deliveries, I did not request tracking and the number from the text message that I received was 12 digits long. This confirmed that the text message was a scam.
I immediately reported it by forwarding the message to 7726 (SPAM).
UPS
United Parcel Service gives similar warnings about text messages, emails, and phone calls that allegedly come from them.
“These fraudulent communications are the unauthorized actions of third parties not associated with UPS. Fraudulent communications claiming to be from UPS may claim to indicate a package is waiting to be delivered. These communications will generally ask you for personal information and/or a payment in advance of receiving a package, or may indicate a need to update your account by obtaining personal information or a copy of your UPS invoice. The links in the text messages may contain malware or direct to a fraudulent website.”
If UPS does have a problem delivering your package, the UPS representative will confirm this with a tracking number that you can verify on their website.
“If you are ever unsure of the validity of a communication, ask for the caller’s first and last name and a call-back telephone number,” the company advises. “If you are unsure of the validity of a text, do not click or select any links or open any attachments as they may contain a virus.”
AMAZON
Imagine placing an order on Amazon, then getting an email telling you that your account has been suspended. Before you panic, make sure the message was really from Amazon and not a scammer. Thankfully, the company makes it easy to do so.
“If you receive an email claiming to be from Amazon and are unsure if it’s from us, visit Message Center to view all email correspondence sent by Amazon. If the email does not appear in Message Center, then it was not sent by Amazon.”
Scammers are also sending similar messages via text that are supposedly from Amazon and contain links that will ask for personal account information or malicious links designed to reveal account numbers and other financial information.
Amazon never asks for personal information via text, regardless of how official it may look.
According to Seattle Magazine, scammers are very good at what they do. One of their latest tricks is to insert these scam messages into a thread of legitimate messages that you may have received from the online retailer.
“Scam texts often say that there’s a problem with your account, ask you for sensitive information like passwords, or state that you’re owed a refund.”
These messages are quite prevalent. This year, in just one month, Amazon said that 40% of scams reported by customers involved fake messages asking them to verify whether a product order was legitimate by clicking a link.
Remember, Amazon never asks for personal information in a text message and any message that does so – even in the middle of a thread – is not from Amazon.
Don’t respond or click any links. If you think it could be legitimate, contact the Message Center or call Amazon Customer Service at 888-280-4331.
WALMART
Walmart is also warning consumers to be wary of phishing and smishing scams. They have received reports of scammers who sent very official looking emails, complete with the company’s logo and branding colors, to lure consumers into replying. The emails will claim you’ve won a prize or invite you to enter a sweepstake, that you need to update your login information, or are reporting a problem with a recent order.
“Clicking on a link in one of these emails can transport you to a site that takes your personal data or Walmart login credentials,” the company warns. “The scammer behind the email can then use your data to impersonate you or spend your money. And in a worst-case scenario, this opens the door for identity theft.”
Smishing scams about Walmart deliveries are also prevalent. This is where the defrauder sends a text about a recent order and poses as either Walmart or a courier service like UPS or FedEx. The text will tell you there’s a problem with your order and you need to click this link to update information or pay fees.
Whatever you do, don’t click the link! If there really is a problem with your order, it’ll come from a legitimate source
Scammers are a creative bunch and are always coming up with new ways to cheat people out of their hard-earned money. And what better time to do this then during the peak of the Christmas shopping season?
The only way to stay ahead of these fraudsters is to stay informed!
Click here to report a scam to the FTC.
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