By: Follow South Jersey Staff
WOODBURY, N.J. – Online purchases have steadily increased in the US due, in part, to the COVID-19 pandemic according to Census Bureau quarterly E-Commerce reports. This increase means more package deliveries for consumers.
The FCC says that, with the increase in deliveries, they have received complaints about delivery notification scam calls, texts, and emails.
Gloucester County officials are warning of a new scam where cybercriminals impersonate companies to send fake purchase confirmation emails in hopes of receiving a special holiday gift: your credit card information.
“The holidays are the prime time for scammers to get information off the vulnerable,” Director Robert M. Damminger said. “Practice caution when organizing shipping or purchase confirmation emails. Always make sure that the sender email is real and do not click a link in the email until you confirm that it is from a legit sender.”
Many delivery scams start with a text or email about delivering a package to your address. These messages often include a “tracking link” that you are urged to click in order to update your delivery or payment preferences.
“While these messages often look or sound legitimate, you should never click a link or call back the number from an unexpected delivery notice. Contact the delivery service or seller directly using a verified number or website,” Commissioner Lyman Barnes said.
Some of the most common warning signs of mail, text or online scams:
- Unexpected requests for money in return for delivery of a package, often with a sense of urgency.
- Requests for personal and/or financial information.
- Links to misspelled or slightly altered website addresses, like “fedx.com” or “fed-ex.com.”
- Spelling and grammatical errors or excessive use of capitalization and exclamation points.
- Certificate errors or lack of online security protocols for sensitive activities.
If you are a victim or suspect a scam, please report it to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. Visit https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/Pages/Consumer-Complaints.aspx to file online.
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