Accessibility links

Facebook   X   LinkedIn   Email

Year-Round Package Delivery Scams To Watch For, 24-7-365

December 23, 2024

Be it by text, phone call, or email, cyber thieves love trying to scam us out of something of value. It could be for our personally identifiable information (PII), bank account information, payment card data, or all three at once. If there’s one thing we can count on today it’s this: Every day, and likely every minute of the day, the world over, someone is being scammed in some way.

Many “everyday” scams involve package delivery services. Whether you’re expecting a package or not, it doesn’t matter because scammers will steal what they can from you. Being aware of the common tactics used to catch us off-guard can help keep us scam-safe. Below are widely used package delivery scam messages, so pay attention if you don’t want to be next.

Package Delivery Dilemmas

Package scammers impersonate known delivery services or retailers to get you to divulge valuable information. Some of the most prevalent messages that scammers use, including keywords, are red flags to watch for: Courier was not able to deliver parcel; Please confirm your delivery shipment; Problems delivering item; Please update delivery preferences to receive your package; In order to get your shipment, open the attachment and verify your payment details. All combinations of these messages are surely scams.

How to Respond Safely

  • If you’re alerted to a delivery issue, take time to think and avoid an immediate response whenever possible. Scammers know getting you to rush or panic is a way to get you to make mistakes. Below are some of the best ways to respond – or not, safely.
  • If you’re not expecting a package, hang up or delete the text or email. If you’re curious, look up the genuine phone number or website for the carrier and contact them directly. Never use contact information from a potential scammer since it leads back to them.
  • Don’t follow text links, especially to a web page. The message and link lead to a bogus website asking for PII, payment details, and other sensitive information. Websites can also download malware on your device.
  • Look for the red flags of email and text phishing (smishing). Never respond to generic greetings, misspellings, bad grammar, and bad graphics. They’re all sure signs that something isn’t right, and the best response is to delete them.

Above all, remember to never verify your PII unless you’re 100% sure the request is legitimate, and always go directly to the authentic source to find that out.


Accounts Drained By Zelle Smishing Scam

Mobile Security

Accounts Drained By Zelle Smishing Scam

From time to time, scammers come up with a new tactic using new technology, new events, or whatever they can to continue tricking us into giving up our personal or confidential information. Over the past few years and with the increasing use of texting and SMS messaging, a newer one in the bag of tricks has been coined as “smishing.” Because it’s text, it often catches people off guard and causes them to react quickly, which is exactly what you shouldn’t do. READ FULL STORY
These Scams Are Heading Your Way

Scams & Phishing

These Scams Are Heading Your Way

This year’s top scams are bigger and better than ever. Phishing scams hit new heights during the pandemic and show no signs of slowing down. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received over 2.1 million complaints from scam victims last year. The most common reports were about imposter scams, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The FTC finds that last year, the financial cost of these fraudulent scams was more than $3.3 billion. READ FULL STORY
Email Identity Crisis! Top Brands For Email Phishing And How To Tell The Difference

Scams & Phishing

Email Identity Crisis! Top Brands For Email Phishing And How To Tell The Difference

Some say impersonation is the greatest form of flattery, but it this case, it’s all about email phishing. Cybercriminals use some companies more than others because they’re well-known globally and have better odds for success. According to APWG’s Phishing Activity Trends Report, the U.S. saw over one million email phishing attacks in the first quarter of this year alone, the highest total on record so far. A look at who these companies are and how to avoid email phishing in their name benefits us all. READ FULL STORY
By Hook And By Crook. Top Scams Targeting Seniors, And How To Help Protect Against Them

Your Security

By Hook And By Crook. Top Scams Targeting Seniors, And How To Help Protect Against Them

It’s a sad reality that our older citizens, those most unfamiliar with online scams, can be easily victimized. The FBI’s IC3 2021 Elder Fraud Report puts a spotlight on some of the most common scams used against those aged 60 and above, and some of the disturbing statistics that result. Know that scammers can victimize the same individual with a number of crimes at the same time. They can lose their money, access to an online account and for some, their identity. READ FULL STORY
Are You Getting Smished? How To Tell And How To Avoid It

Mobile Security

Are You Getting Smished? How To Tell And How To Avoid It

It doesn’t take much to be a smishing victim when just a text message does the trick. A member of the email phishing and voice (vishing) family of criminal scams, replying to a smishing text can be all that’s needed to begin a successful scam. Knowing how smishing works and the tell-tale signs of these scams can help keep you from being the next smishing victim. Using pressure, fear, curiosity, trust, winning a contest, and other tactics increase their chances of reeling you in. But what do you do when a text has only one word? READ FULL STORY