(USNewsBreak.com) – Scammers come up with a lot of ways to bilk people out of their money, and they’re becoming more creative every day. One of the busiest times is over the holiday season, but one of the methods involving a package delivery scheme can hit at any time. Here’s what to watch for so you don’t become a victim.
Fraudsters are taking advantage of the fact that millions of people shop online every day. The way a package delivery scheme works is you’ll receive a text message that provides the name of a driver and the company for which they’re working. The scammer will usually tell you they’ve become lost trying to find your house. They make it sound very legit. If you do call back, you’ll speak to someone who sounds very professional. The scheme is to obtain your personal information. Don’t ever give this out over the phone. To see whether it’s legit, hang up and call the shipping company directly to speak to someone.
In another type of package scheme, also involving a text message, the con artist sends you a link saying that the company needs to reschedule the delivery of your package or there’s a delivery fee due. If you click the link, one of two things usually happens. It might ask you for your information. If you enter your details, you’ve delivered it into the hands of bad actors. Alternatively, the link might install malware onto your phone, making it easy for them to capture your personal information, including passwords.
However, there’s no package in either of these scenarios. Keeping an eye on your deliveries will help avoid confusion that might lead to you falling victim.
While these scams pop up more around the holidays because of the likelihood of an increasing number of deliveries, they can hit at any time. The best way to address them is to ignore them if you know you don’t have anything on the way or call the shipping company directly if you believe there might be an issue.
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