Fake package texts claiming an address problem or a small fee are reaching NJ phones as holiday shipping picks up. The link is the trap.
Fake delivery texts are reaching New Jersey phones as holiday shipping picks up. One version says a package is stuck at a warehouse because of incomplete address information and asks you to confirm your address at a link. You probably did order something, which is why it works.
The messages pose as USPS, UPS, FedEx or Amazon. Another version asks for a small fee before a package can be delivered. The Better Business Bureau warned NJ residents about that one earlier this year. Similar scam texts have also used unpaid traffic tickets and missed jury duty. The story changes, but the playbook stays the same: stir up worry and add urgency.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says USPS only texts if you signed up for tracking with a tracking number. Even then, those texts never include a link. That rules out most of these messages.
Texts that tell you to reply "1" or copy the link into your browser are also fake. Your phone often disables links from unknown senders, so these are workarounds. Replying also tells the scammer your number is live.
The Postal Inspection Service says to call your bank or credit card company if you interacted with the link, even if you typed nothing. The full steps are in the alert box above.
No count of how many people have received these texts has been reported, and it is not clear who is sending them. A real delivery problem will still be there when you check for yourself.
A real USPS tracking text never has a link, so do not tap, reply or copy anything, and check your order in the store's app or on the carrier's site.
Greece's grid operator HEDNO says scammers are posing as its workers by phone and at the door to take money, jewelry and personal details.
Read more: Greek power company warns of scammers posing as utility workersA holiday fraud warning says fake stores and bait messages are spreading during sales, and a quick check before you click can protect your money and card details.
Read more: Check These Things Before You Click on a Holiday DealA Georgia sheriff says scammers are calling families and demanding cash to free a jailed relative. Real jails do not work that way, and the call is built to rush you.
Read more: Sheriff warns of phone scam demanding money to free jailed relatives
