(Note: You should do this anyway even if you didn’t interact with any suspicious emails.)īottom line: Any email you receive from a package delivery service should be assumed to be a fraudulent email because these companies rarely contact a customer directly. If you’ve already received one or more of these fake emails and clicked on any links contained within them, I recommend that you immediately do the following:ġ – Run a thorough malware scan on your computer.Ģ – Change the passwords for any online accounts that could have been compromised via your interactions with the fraudulent email(s).ģ- Enable Two-Factor Authentication on every online account you have. If it’s fake you’ll be told that it couldn’t be found in the shipping company’s database. If the tracking number is real you’ll see the tracking information on your screen. Google will then provide a direct link to that tracking information on the shipping company’s website.
#UPS VERIFY EMAIL ADDRESS SCAM WINDOWS#
What you need to do is copy the tracking number provided in the email to the Windows clipboard, then paste it into the search box on Google. That email could still be a fraudulent email that has nothing to do with your order.Ĭhances are the email is legit if you did place a recent order, but there’s no reason to chance it. If you receive an email that contains a tracking number, don’t click a link in the email to view the tracking information, even if you really did place a recent order from that company. If you lose that confirmation email (or suspect it night be a fake) you can usually get the tracking number on the retailer’s website by logging in directly from a known good URL and viewing the order details for the item in question. You’ll typically receive the tracking number for a package in the confirmation email the retailer sends you letting you know your order has been shipped. Shipping companies rarely bother to contact the customer at all. Most Internet retailers provide tracking numbers for the packages they ship themselves. But luckily, they are also very easy to recognize and avoid. If you fill out the form on that page you’ll likely end up handing over your login details for a website that you actually use and/or sensitive information that can be used to steal your identity.Īnd to top it all off, malware will almost certainly be installed onto your computer to boot!Īs you can see, these fake delivery notices are very dangerous. The link will supposedly take you to either the shipping company’s website or a retailer’s website so you can enter the required info, but if you click on it you’ll actually be taken to a realistic-looking, but fake web page with a form to enter the info they’re trying to steal from you. Postal Service, but the email was actually sent by a scammer.Ģ – The text of the email will say your package couldn’t be delivered or they need some kind of info to verify your identity before it can be delivered (or some other excuse to coax you into clicking a link in the email). The scam typically works something like this:ġ – You receive an email with a subject line that makes it appear that it came from a legitimate shipping company like UPS, FedEx, DHL or the U.S. Unfortunately, hackers and scammers are now sending out fake package delivery notices that could result in your login credentials for a retailer’s website being stolen and/or malware being downloaded onto your computer. And they are indeed handy, especially when they contain the tracking number for an order you’ve placed. Many Internet retailers send out these emails as a courtesy to their customers. “It’s incessant.If you do much shopping online you’re probably used to receiving emails letting you know that your orders have been shipped.
In Canada, there were 3,349 reports of phishing emails and 1,006 victims between January and September 2021.Ĭlare said it’s frustrating that everyone must be on such high alert these days for potential scams. These types of scams are also very common. The goal is to steal your personal or financial information, which can be used for identity fraud. Phishing messages will ask you to click on a link for various reasons. Phishing scams are associated with misleading and deceptive emails or text messages, falsely claiming to be from a legitimate organization such as a financial institution, business, or government agency. It makes unrealistic threats or demands, sometimes has poor spelling and grammar, has a mismatched or dodgy URL and the recipient is asked for sensitive information. There are several characteristics of a phishing email. The centre said this scam is being captured under what’s called “the phishing pitch.”
19, 2021, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received 264 reports of the UPS scam.