INDIANAPOLIS— If you get a text about a package delivery, take a closer look.
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office is warning people about an uptick in emails and texts that appear to be from FedEx, UPS, Amazon, and the U.S. Postal Service—but they’re actually a scam.
WRTV Investigates Kara Kenney just received a message that said, “The USPS package has arrived at the warehouse and cannot be delivered due to incomplete address information. Please confirm your address in the link within 12 hours.”
The text message then included a link which Kenney did not click.
The fraudulent emails and texts often contain links purported to help the consumer track a package — when in reality those links connect to malicious websites, according to the Indiana Attorney General’s office.
The scammers can install malware on your devices.
The Federal Trade Commission recently issued a similar warning about fake shipping text messages and emails.
“The details vary, but the scammers are after the same thing: your money and your personal information,” the FTC said in an alert. “If you click on those links and submit your card information, you’ll ending up with nothing — but you’ll find unauthorized charges posted to your account.”
According to the Federal Trade Commission, here are some ways to spot a bogus email:
- It tells you to click on a link or download an attachment
- It urges you to take immediate action
- It asks you to “re-confirm” personal or financial information
TIPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF:
- Don’t click on links or respond to unexpected texts — including ones asking you to fill out surveys to get free items. If you think it could be legit, contact the company using a website or phone number you know is real. Don’t use the information in the text message.
- Delete the message from your device.
- Don’t pay to get a package redelivered. The real USPS won’t contact you out of the blue about a delivery (unless you submitted a request first and give a tracking number) — and they’ll never demand payment to redeliver a package.
