Consumer trends tell us that delivery scams are becoming increasingly popular. Reviews and reported scams on PissedConsumer highlight that a typical delivery scam includes fake texts or emails about packages. Meaning it’s just another variation of phishing scams. Read more to learn how to identify delivery scams and protect your personal information. Key Insights According to the FTC, consumers lost more than $470 million in scams, including fake delivery scams. The best protection against delivery scam text messages and emails is caution. If you clicked on a link in a phishing email, change your passwords and report the scam to authorities immediately. What Is a Delivery Scam? There are many different variations of delivery scams. However, most of them are phishing emails or text messages allegedly from well-known delivery companies, such as USPS, UPS, or FedEx, claiming you’ve missed a delivery or need to pay a fee. You click the link in the delivery text scam message and provide personal and financial information to be sure your package arrives. Unfortunately, there is no package, and you got scammed. The image below contains an example of a UPS scam message posted on Reddit. To identify a delivery scam like this one pay attention to the phone number it was sent from and the web address it was asking him to click. Source: reddit.com How Do I Spot a Delivery Scam? The red flags of a delivery scam include an unexpected text from a delivery company. That text often comes from a foreign or unfamiliar number. The text or email might also ask you to click on a link that appears like the official UPS or USPS website but is different, perhaps the @ sign is in a strange place in the email address. Report a Scam Not every email or text message is a scam. Does USPS send text messages and emails? Yes it does, but only if you’ve signed up for that service. That also means you have an advantage when it comes to spotting a USPS scam text or email. You can simply log into your USPS online account to check for notifications. A few other ways to avoid being caught in text or email scams require a bit of caution and an extra step or two. If you receive a message that you suspect is a text or email scam: Don’t click the link. Log into your USPS or UPS account directly by typing in the official web address rather than clicking the email in the spam message. Don’t call a number in a text or email. Find the official agency phone number instead to call. Look for red flags like international phone numbers or strange URLs. Strange syntax or misspellings are other common red flags. Don’t fall for “urgency.” A message that requires urgent or immediate payment is almost certainly a scam hoping you’ll rush rather than being safe. How Do These Scams Work? Delivery scams pop up in consumer news and reviews frequently. For example, a PissedConsumer user reported a similar scam through our website. That report claims: Got text saying it was from USPS about delivery of package wanted me to update my information but the letters were wrong and the spelling was off I deleted it. Just wanted to let folks know PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO TEXT MESSAGES AND EMAILS AND DON’T REPLY Another PissedConsumer user left review #4358815 about a scam. The customer was expecting to receive a package and got an email “saying that my package was short on postage of $1.99.” The customer ignored it, but when they got a second email, they “decided to call and check the tracking number provided.” Thankfully, the customer called USPS directly to verify, as the agency couldn’t find the tracking number provided and identified the email as a scam. There are also big discussions on Reddit about similar expiences and tips on how to identify delivery scam message. Source: reddit.com What Do I Do If I Fall for a Delivery Scam? Delivery scams often work because they look and feel authentic. If you fall for a delivery scam, you’ll need to move quickly to protect yourself from additional consumer issues. Step 1: Immediately change all passwords. Change your email and financial passwords using completely different, complex passwords. Step 2: Protect your finances. Use your online account to lock all your credit cards or debit cards. Call your banks and financial institutions about the scams so that the bank can monitor and set alerts and locks in place. Step 3: Set up a fraud alert and credit freeze with the major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. Step 4: File an identify theft report if you provided your Social Security Number. You can do this online at IdentityTheft.gov. Step 5: Block and report the scammer. Block numbers or addresses that send scams. Report them to your email provider and phone provider as well as the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. You can also report a scam on PissedConsumer to help others avoid falling for these scams. Avoiding Delivery Scams Delivery scams, like all scams, prey on the innocence and good nature of unsuspecting consumers. To avoid falling victim to these scams, practice vigilance and be willing to take at least one extra step to verify an email or text by contacting the agency in question directly. Once you’ve dodged a scam, warn others by sharing your experiences online and giving other consumers an idea of what to watch for. Join an online community of others with similar experiences by reporting attempted scam on PissedConsumer. Report a Scam