Scammers are hoping you’ve been online shopping, in hopes that you aren’t keeping track of your purchases. Recently, there’s been an uptick in smishing, or bogus text messages, from delivery services including the U.S. Postal Service, UPS and FedEx.
How it Works
You receive a text message claiming that your package is being kept on hold due to an issue with your address, insufficient postage or that no one was home to accept it. The message directs you to a link which takes you to a website that may look legitimate with a company logo and even the tracking number.
To reschedule, you will be asked to verify your address and pay a small redelivery fee. In one case, a woman thought she as being charged 99 cents for redelivery only to later discover that she had been charged $400.
Avoid Smishing Attempts
- Don’t click any links, unless you can verify it’s legitimate. According to the Postal Service, unless you sign up for status alerts on a package, you won’t receive a text from them.
- If you’re suspicious of a tracking number, check it out. Simply copy and paste the tracking number into the search on the company’s website.
- Go straight to the source. Be sure to contact the company directly as scammers often use a web address very similar to the real one.
- Don’t share your personal information.
If you are a Merrimack customer and are concerned your personal or financial information was compromised, please call us directly at 603.225.2793.