As usual, fraudsters and identity thieves are out to get you.
Their new Trojan Horse is the U.S. Postal Service.
In a release, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service reports that it has received nationwide complaints of swindlers posing as USPS employees via email and on the phone. By telling innocent people that a package is “unable to be delivered,” the Post Office poseurs bamboozle innocent people into divulging personal information, like their addresses, social security numbers, phone numbers, full names and credit card information.
According to the USPS’s Inspection Service, in the online version of the con, people receive an email “which claims to be from the US Postal Service.” It includes a “message related to an attempted or intercepted package delivery. The customer is told to click on the link or open an attachment then print the label.”
When someone opens the link or attachment, a malicious virus is installed on the computer. The virus could steal personal identifiers of the customer and compromise the customer’s information.”
If you get such an email in your inbox, the USPS wants you to follow these strict instructions:
Do not click on the link or open the attachment.
Forward the email to spam@uspis.gov.
Delete the email.
In the telephone version of the con, criminals use a similar spiel, saying they work for the Postal Service, and a package destined for you has been thwarted mid-journey: he just needs to confirm some details – like your address, birthday, or the last four digits of your Social Security number – before the package can be delivered.
If you receive such a phone call, follow these steps:
Do not provide any personal identifying information to the caller.
Hang up.
Contact your local post office to verify the phone call.
Contact the Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455
cmcallister@durangoherald.com
