Dear Valued Clients and Friends,
The holidays are here again and for most of us, that means… shopping! And due to the popularity of online shopping, it also means packages. Unfortunately, this results in an explosion of the phishing email scams we have warned you about before. The difference is they are much more effective during the holiday season because, as you’ll see below, they prey on the fear that our gifts sent through our favorite delivery service won’t get there. See this example email below:
Dear Sir/Madam,
Unfortunately we were not able to deliver the postal package you sent on 7/1/2014 because the recipient’s address is not correct. We attempted to return the package on multiple occasions but were unsuccessful. Please print the attached claim form to collect the package at our warehouse.
Thank you,
UPS
Needless to say, when you download the attachment to print it, you will be inadvertently installing malware onto your system that can damage you in a number of ways such as encrypting your files and holding them hostage, accessing or logging sensitive information such as your financial information, to simply just hijacking your computer’s resources to send more phishing email! These emails are designed to look as official as possible in every respect, and so can be hard to spot. Another tactic is to provide relevant information concerning a package delivery with links sending you to a malicious website AND attaching hidden malware! Check out this example:
Dear client,
Your package has been delivered. Your tracking number is: RT094860142HK. You can track your package at: http://www.canadapost./cpotools/apps/track/personal/findbyTrackNumber?execution=e9s1
The shipping invoice may be downloaded from: http://www.canadapost./catools/apps/track/personal/findInvoiceByTrackingNumber?track=RT094860142HK
The most popular parcel services such as FedEx, UPS and USPS have posted warnings on their respective websites about these types of emails. They are linked below:
UPS – New Fraudulent Email Circulating
USPS – Beware of SPAM! Bogus Emails Sent to Postal Customers
FedEx – Defending Against Fraud
A simple suggestion for online shopping safety
If you receive an email like the examples above and you have any doubt, don’t open it! Either contact the parcel service in question directly to confirm the email was sent by them, or contact us directly for assistance. Have a happy and safe holiday season!