What Is a Courier Phishing Scam?

Although it is the season to be jolly, it is also the season to be wary as phishing scams are on the rise.  

If your business receives a lot of deliveries, it’s important to be alert and aware of courier phishing scams.

The leadup to Christmas is well underway, and the number of daily parcel deliveries has increased.

In 2021, UK couriers delivered approximately 1.3 billion more parcels than in 2022, according to Statista.

As we receive a higher volume of deliveries, criminals are seizing the opportunity to swindle unsuspecting victims of their data and cash with courier phishing attacks.  

During a courier phishing attack, a scammer will send a text or email posing as a courier or postage service, for example, Royal Mail, DPD or Evri.  

The message usually says that a delivery attempt was made but has failed and will prompt the recipient to reschedule delivery by clicking a link or paying for the parcel to be redelivered.  

When a user follows the link, they will be asked to supply certain information, such as their name, email address, home address and sometimes bank details – all things a scammer can use to their advantage.  

Here are a few examples and top tips to spot them.

Examples of Courier Phishing Scams 

How to Spot a Courier Phishing Scam?

Although phishing scams are becoming more sophisticated, there are some steps you can take to check the legitimacy of a text or email, including: 

• Scammers try to catch their victims on the ‘off chance’, so ask yourself, are you expecting a parcel and who is meant to deliver it? 
• Double-check the sender’s email address and/or phone number. Remember, national couriers would never use a ‘free’ email address provider such as @gmail.com, @hotmail.co.uk or @live.com. 
• Scan the message for any spelling or grammatical errors – this is a tell-tale sign in many phishing scams 

• If the sender is pressuring you to click a link to reschedule a delivery and/or pay a fee, it’s likely a phishing scam

 

What To Do If You’re Still Unsure?

If you’re expecting a parcel from the courier that has contacted you, but you’re still unsure whether the communication was genuine, DO NOT CLICK THE LINK OR ENTER YOUR PERSONAL OR COMPANY DETAILS and follow these steps: 

• Call your courier (make sure to Google the number and not use one listed in the message they sent as this may be a fake number) 
• Check your online courier account and/or app for delivery updates 
• Contact the company or person sending the item and ask if they have posted it and to supply a tracking number/delivery update 

Cybersecurity Training from Systemagic

Unfortunately, phishing scams and cyber criminals are never going away, therefore, it’s important that we’re aware of different scams and how to manage the risks.

Our cybersecurity awareness training turns your employees into your greatest cybersecurity asset by closing the knowledge gap and giving them the confidence to spot a respond to a scam safely.

Do you think you and your team could do with brushing up on some cybersecurity knowledge?

Contact us today for more information and take advantage of our 2-week free trial.

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