Imagine just going about your day, when all of a sudden your phone starts buzzing. When you pick it up, you see that you got a phishing text message from a random phone number. The text message states that you have received a package and that you need to click a link to pick it up. However, you haven’t ordered anything off of a website in months. What is happening?! Here is the delivery scam delivered in form of a phishing text message scam that you need to watch out for!
The Delivery Phishing Text Message Scam
A scammer sends you a scam text message, claiming that there is a package waiting for you. It instructs you to click the link within the phishing text message, and it takes you to a legit-looking postal service webpage. It asks you to “verify that it’s you” in order to send you the package and asks you to fill out your personal information on a fake web form.
After this, it then takes you to a payment page where it asks to pay “a small shipping fee” so that you can get your package. Once you wire transfer money, give them a gift card code, or give them your financial information, the webpage says “you’re all set to receive the package!”
However, you don’t receive any confirmation emails, nothing shows up at your door, and you realize that your bank account keeps draining. You also receive credit card bills that you don’t recall ever applying for. The person on the other end of this website was a scammer, and they committed identity fraud against your name. They also continue to drain your bank account.
How to Avoid the Delivery Phishing Text Message Scam
- Don’t click on any links sent to you from a random number.
- Don’t text anyone or give a phishing website your personal or financial information.
- Don’t believe anything the text message tells you if it’s from a random phone number and contains a link.
- A postal service, such as Amazon, FedEx, or USPS, won’t send you a text message telling you to click a link to receive that package.
- If it has bad grammar, then it’s probably a scam.
- Report any scams and scam phone numbers to the FTC.
Social Catfish is Here to Help You!
At Social Catfish, we want to help you verify the identities of those who might seem suspicious to you. If you have their name, email address, phone number, social media username, or image, you can reverse search and see who the suspected person was that you’ve been in contact with if you think you’ve been a victim of this delivery phishing text message scam.
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