We’re coming into the Christmas period, which can only mean one thing: scammers are in full force trying to trick people out of their money. Every year, we see a rise in delivery-based scams taking advantage of all the packages we send out during the holiday period, and this year is no exception. So, what are scammers up to this time?
How Scammers Are Tricking People This Christmas Period
As spotted by the MakeUseOf team, people are receiving more package-related scams than normal. This is typical around December, as people order presents, decorations, and dinner utensils to prepare for Christmas. As such, these scams are more likely to land in the inbox of someone who has actually ordered something recently; sending this text to someone who hasn’t ordered anything is a dead giveaway.
These scams typically leverage fear or annoyance to get people to click a scam link. In the case of a Christmas delivery scam, the scammer will usually claim that a package couldn’t be delivered due to an unpaid postal fee or an incorrect address, preying on the time-sensitive nature of Christmas purchases. Below is an example of a scam that someone from the MakeUseOf team received:
This scam, in particular, has a few warning signs that tip us off that it’s a scam. First, it was sent from iMessage, and the number doesn’t correlate with USPS. Second, the URL is extremely fishy; there’s a lot of “chaff” in there to make it look semi-genuine, and I hope the recipient doesn’t read the entire thing. Finally, the message uses text that doesn’t sound professional or business-like.
If you want to stay safe during this holiday period, be sure to check out all the things to look for in a fake shipping text. These messages often come with “tells” that can tip you off to a scam once you know how to spot them. However, scammers are getting very good at impersonating websites, as demonstrated when I examined a scarily good scam that copied one of my country’s delivery services.