You may or may not have been expecting a package, but still got text message, email or call with a tracking number, or were told that a package was either delayed or undeliverable.
These unexpected communications are all part of a larger scam, the Federal Communications Commission warns, and have only grown as more people have shifted to shopping online since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Federal Trade Commission reported that the “fake package delivery problems” text message scam was one of the top-reported text message scams of 2022. Scammers send these texts to impersonate the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, or UPS, and attach a link to a website may look legitimate, but is not.
People who opened the link reported they were told to pay a small “redelivery fee,” which was just a trick to get the person’s credit card number, and sometimes personal information, like their Social Security numbers. Text-related scams have already cost American consumers $330 million in losses, the FTC reports.
Each major package carrier like United States Postal Service, FedEx, UPS and Amazon have issued warnings that impostors are using this method to trick unsuspecting people into handing over their personal information, and offer advice on how to avoid the scam.
FedEx states on its website that the company does not request and personal information or account credentials from consumers via email, mail, or text. FedEx offers these tips:
UPS offers up advice on how to deal with various scam scenarios on their website, and also recommends staying alert where messages are like to come from when being contacted by the company.
USPS recommends that consumers never click the link in the suspicious email or texts, and take the following steps to ensure their personal information is kept safe:
Amazon recommends shoppers stay aware of their orders and stay aware of their order history so they don’t fall for this scam. Also, be on the lookout in case the text message or email they received is legitimate.
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