Florida AG Warns Against Text Message Schemes
There are lots of packages being tracked leading up to Christmas. Many people are tracking their gifts awaiting their delivery. Criminals know this.
The Florida Attorney General has put out a warning: do not trust texts about package tracking.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a release:
“With Christmas just days away, tracking last-minute deliveries is becoming increasingly important. Many Floridians are anxiously awaiting the delivery of multiple online purchases, and scammers may capitalize on the glut of deliveries in an effort to steal personal or financial information. Beware of text messages instructing recipients to click a link to track a package—it may be linked to malware or a scam designed to steal personal information.”
This type of scam is called ‘smishing.’ The US Postal Instpection Service defines as “a deceptive text message intended to lure recipients into providing personal or financial information.” They are often disguised as being from the U.S. Postal Service or other shipping companies.
Here are a few things to look for:
- The phone number may appear to be from a personal 10-digit phone number
- There is no mention of any store the item may be shipping from
- All companies sending physical goods will require a shipping address when purchasing an item online—they will not ask for an updated shipment address
- If the link is unrecognized, it is safe to assume that it is an attempted scam—so never click on the link
Here’s how to avoid these and similar scams:
- Avoid clicking on links from unknown senders
- Block numbers from unwanted robotexts
- Don’t respond to scam robotexts
- Check for grammatical errors, suspicious links or phone numbers that resemble personal numbers
- The U.S. Postal Service will not send text messages with package-tracking updates unless you’ve signed up for the updates online
[Source: News Channel 8]
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