During this holiday season, package delivery is expected to rise between 10-15 percent above last year’s volume. FedEx anticipates a 10 percent increase in volume, while UPS expects a 14 percent increase. The U.S. Postal Service also anticipates a sizable rise of 12 percent in shipping volumes from the previous year. What does this mean for you? It means staying vigilant to avoid becoming a victim of package scammers who harness the value of this growing shipping phenomenon. How to Avoid Package Scammers
Scammers take advantage of the latest trends and technology to lure unsuspecting victims into their traps. As package volumes continue to rise each year, scammers increase their efforts to benefit from this growing trend. One of their methods of attack is to send an email to targets informing them of an attempted package delivery by a well-known delivery company. The email may include authentic logos, copyright notices, disclaimers, and the correct language to fool a target into believing the email is genuine. The contents of the email, however, are anything but helpful.
The body of the email will inform the reader that the company was unable to deliver a package to the recipient. It will offer one of two methods to retrieve the package – print an attached label and take it to a local office or click on a link in the email to reattempt delivery. If an email recipient follows these instructions, he or she will inadvertently download a virus that will either corrupt the computer or steal personal information to send back to the scammer. Either scenario is bad news for victims of this scam.
Package scammers have also been known to call targets to attempt this scam over the phone. This type of attack takes more time for a scammer to implement since it involves one-on-one conversation instead of an email sent to many individuals at once, but it has a greater success rate. People are more likely to respond to a phone call than an email, and a scammer can offer a more convincing story while countering any objections to secure compliance from the target. This type of package scam specifically targets the extraction of a victim’s personal information. How to Avoid Package Scammers
Here are two easy tips to keep your personal information out of a package scammer’s hands: How to Avoid Package Scammers
- Never click on a link or download attachments from an unsolicited email.
Even if the email looks authentic, it may be from a clever scammer who designed it to look as convincing as possible. If you think the email could be genuine, contact the company using information you have in a statement or on the company’s official website and ask about the email. - Never provide your personal information over the phone to a caller.
You have no way to know if a caller is who that person claims to be. Instead, tell the person you’re going to call the company he or she represents to discuss the matter further and then hang up. Don’t use any contact information the person offers you as it may not be genuine. Also, don’t stay on the line with the person after you make the decision to hang up as he or she may pressure you into staying on the line. If you think the call could be authentic, call the company using contact information you have in a statement or on the company’s official website.
The holidays should be remembered with fondness, not as the time a package scammer corrupted your finances. Follow the two simple steps above and help keep your holidays bright.
How to Avoid Package Scammers
