Fake Delivery Scam Pops Up Just in Time for the Holidays
A new scam has popped up just in time for the holidays, and officials are warning consumers of a yellow postcard that could spell trouble for them down the road.
Birmingham, Alabama’s WBRC reported that a local man named Ross Jacobs received such a postcard one day when he opened up his mailbox.
Holding up the yellow postcard, Jacobs told WBRC, “I went out to check the mail one evening, and I noticed I had a strange postcard…”
“It said ‘Delivery Notice.'”
Jacobs said that after taking a second glance at the postcard, he noticed some irregularities.
“If it’s a delivery notice from the post office, why wouldn’t it have a stamp on it?” Jacobs said.
“And if it’s a delivery notice from FedEx, DHL, UPS — then they’re going to put their brand all over it. It has none of that so it kind of raised a red flag.”
The news station reported that residents in North Carolina received similar postcards in August.
Business experts, however, are warning citizens not to call the number that is listed on the postcard.
Executive Director of the Better Business Bureau David Smitherman told WBRC: “Once they get to talk to you, that gives them one more opportunity to try to talk you in to sending extra delivery — all kinds of things. So you really just don’t want to get on the phone with these characters.”
He says that not only are scammers using yellow postcards, but he warns citizens to be wary of unsolicited emails that claim you have a delivery.
Smitherman added that clinking on links from unsolicited emails could download unwanted spyware and malware onto your computers.
Jacobs, however, didn’t take the bait.
After looking at the card for about 30 minutes, he knew it was a scam.
Instead, he sent a notice to the Alabama attorney general’s office.
“They’re kind of preying on the weak and it seems like … maybe by acting fast they can get caught,” he said.
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