Parcel delivery: what you need to know to avoid falling into the trap of scams

There are more and more victims of the parcel delivery scam. Here's how to avoid the pitfalls.

The holiday season is the perfect time to criminals . Indeed, the latter take advantage of the vulnerability of people, the moment when they least suspect a scam. Thus, during periods of high e-commerce activity, such as Christmas, Black Friday or sales, the criminals redouble their efforts . And this, by setting up the parcel delivery scam. They then take advantage of the fact that many people are waiting for packages. To trick you, they pretend to be delivery companies, such as La Poste, Colissimo, UPS or even DHL. Whether by SMS or email, you will receive a message containing a fake tracking number. This message will tell you that your package could not be delivered to you. Thus, it will ask you to pay a fee. Beware of this scam on parcel delivery!

The pitfalls of this scam parcel delivery

Do not click on links or attachments:

The criminals aim to steal your personal and banking information. They will do it any way they can. According to the DGCCRF, the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention, you have to be very vigilant during the Christmas period . If you receive an email or text message with a link or attachments, be careful! As a result, according to the DGCCRF, “ before clicking on a dubious link, position the cursor of your mouse on this link (without clicking) which will then display the address to which it actually points in order to check its plausibility '. If you don't have this option, don't click! It could be the package delivery scam.

Check language level

You can probably detect a scam from an official email by the level of French of the messages . Indeed, emails or fraudulent SMS messages received usually contain lots of spelling mistakes. So, if you read an email and you find not only spelling mistakes, but also grammar and syntax, this email may be a scam. When it comes to potential parcel delivery scam messages, the rule remains the same. Also pay attention to capital letters, or the writing of your name.

Do not provide personal information

The DGCCRF also gives advice regarding your personal information . You should know that no one will ask you, by email or phone, to give your personal information. ' No administration or serious commercial company will ask you for your bank details or your passwords by e-mail or by telephone. '. In the event that an organization asks you for your personal information, you should know that they have an obligation to go through a secure service. So don't be fooled by this scam. on parcel delivery.

Parcel Delivery: Verify Sender

One of the first things to do is to verify sender . Indeed, it should be known that the official sites and email addresses of the delivery services must contain the name of the whole . For example, for La Poste Colissimo, the official email addresses are therefore < [email protected] > and < [email protected] >. For SMS, the official number is 38004. For parcel delivery scams, you should know that criminals change a single character of these addresses. And this, in order to try to deceive the potential victims.

Contact the organization concerned

If, after having carried out all these steps, you still do not know if the email or the SMS comes from an official body. You can then contact him to ask. Indeed, in order to avoid falling into the trap of the parcel delivery scam, you will need to contact the organization in question. And this, via its official channels (telephone number, agency, etc.). Only in this way can you be sure that you don't fall into the trap.

Victim of the package delivery scam?

There are many solutions if you think you are one of the victims of the package delivery scam. First of all, in the event that you have communicated your banking information, you must immediately oppose . And this, by contacting your bank. At the same time, you can then explain the trap, and ask for a refund. If you provided a password, change it ASAP . In addition, if you have clicked on an attachment or on a link in the fraudulent email or SMS, remember to update your antivirus and carry out a complete analysis. Finally, if you have fraudulent software installed on your device (smartphone, computer, etc.), uninstall it and restart it.

For what comes next, you will have to report this package delivery scam. So you can either contact 33700 or denounce it on the site Signal Spam . Regarding the email address used for phishing, you can report it to Initiative Phishing. Finally, if you wish, you have the possibility of file a complaint with the information you have about this scam.

Source : Public