Waylon Cunningham

The convenience of making purchases online and having them shipped straight to their doorstep has been a gamechanger for most consumers. But with millions of packages delivered each year, con artists and thieves have developed many ways to steal from shoppers. Fortunately, there are also many ways to protect yourself from their shady tactics. Better Business Bureau provides the following tips to keep your information safe.

“Fake delivery texts and package theft are especially common during the holiday season when package shipments increase,” said Mechele Agbayani Mills, President and CEO of BBB Central East Texas. “However, they can occur at any time of the year.”

How it works

These deceptive messages often claim to be from well-known shipping services like UPS, FedEx, or USPS. The message may claim your package is on hold due to incomplete address information, or incomplete payment information followed by “Please confirm your information in the link below,” at which point they proceed to collect your personal information and/or financial information.

Tips to avoid falling for a fake delivery text

Keep track of your deliveries. It will be much more difficult to cause confusion you if you know which packages you are expecting, which companies are shipping them, and when delivery can be expected.

Use caution when clicking on links. If you receive an unexpected message about a delivery, instead of clicking on the link provided, go directly to the delivery service’s website, and use the item’s tracking number to confirm the status of your package.

Protect your information. Never share personal information via text message. Legitimate companies will not ask for personal or financial information via text message. Remember, you can always verify a message by contacting the delivery service directly.

Enable Security Settings. Change your phone settings to filter messages from unknown senders. Mark messages as “junk” to alert your phone provider. You can also forward spam text messages to 7726 (or SPAM) which allows your phone carrier to identify and block similar messages in the future.

Install antivirus software and download the most current software updates on your phone. Make sure all your electronics are protected. Antivirus software can scan for malware and alert you before you open a malicious website link.

Understand delivery company policies. Delivery companies will never contact you with unsolicited calls or texts. Depending on how you signed up for notifications, messages usually are posted within a secure online portal. Be leery of unsolicited messages, especially if you never signed up for text alerts.

For more information

Visit BBB.org/AvoidScams to learn more. If you’ve been the victim of a delivery scam, please report it at BBB.org/ScamTracker. Your report can help others avoid falling victim to similar scams. Stay alert to shipping fraud by visiting FedEx’s website, U.S Postal Service and UPS’s online resource center.