The Federal Trade Commission has cautioned people that scammers can attempt to deceive them by using phony shipping and delivery notifications. These notifications can be utilized by criminals to acquire funds and confidential personal information. It is estimated that about 82 million parcels per day will be delivered during the peak holiday period.
Are you expecting a package delivery this holiday season? The Federal Trade Commission has issued a consumer alert cautioning that scammers may try to take advantage of this by sending bogus emails or text messages in order to steal your personal info. People who buy items online tend to get several notifications about a purchase, such as order, shipping and delivery confirmations. Scammers, however, also send similar notifications that might claim a missed delivery attempt and urge the recipient to click a link to reschedule delivery. They might also say an item is ready to ship but requires the buyer to provide updated shipping information. These con artists are trying to get people to click fake website links by providing false information, where the unsuspecting victims might enter their personal or financial info. Alvaro Puig, a consumer education specialist, noted in the alert that, "It'll capture all the information you enter," and that the link can install malware on your phone or computer that steals your information.
He said usernames and passwords to accounts of online banking, email or social media could be put at risk. Scammers can use that information to take from a person's identity and create new accounts with their name. Digital scams can occur at any time, but people may be more open to them over the holidays, when, according to ShipMatrix, approximately 82 million shipments are scheduled per day.
The FTC advises that to safeguard yourself, do not click on links in emails concerning unexpected package deliveries. Moreover, if you believe the message could be valid, do not contact the shipper through the information contained in the note. Instead, make contact using a website or phone number that is known to be real. The FTC additionally suggests checking the delivery status via the website from which you purchased the item.
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