Be careful as the Christmas holidays approach with parcel scams on the rise. Fake delivery people take advantage of your online orders to send you a fake message by SMS.
It occurs all year round but as the Christmas holidays approach, it increases again. This is the parcel scam. It is actively circulating via SMS. The technique for trapping your recipient is very simple.
Do not click on the link sent by SMS
An SMS is sent to your mobile from the exit to what is believed to be a delivery person. “Hello, this is the delivery person, your package did not fit in the mailbox, please choose a relay point on…” Obviously, this is a fake delivery person who is only waiting for one thing, that is is that you click on the link that closes his message.
This is actually a so-called phishing attempt, one of many widespread scams aimed at recovering personal information. “On the Cybermalveillance site, we observed a peak in attacks around May 6-7, 2024, with 2,000 consultations per day of our article on parcel scams. Since then, we have still had 1,000 visits per day; Usually, we oscillate between 300 and 500″, confided Jean-Jacques Latour, cybersecurity expertise director of the government platform Cybermalveillance at UFC Que Choisir.
Never give out your bank details
What happens if you click on the fraudulent link? It links to a fake site which resembles a Mondial Relay interface. From there, the trap will set in little by little. Your email address and telephone number are first requested. So far nothing unusual. You then fill in your address, reschedule your delivery day and time. Where you need to be very careful is if a new page asks you to provide your banking details. Which is never the case when rescheduling a delivery.
If you provide your banking details, then you are giving online scammers the opportunity to access your personal data. During the holiday season, it is very easy to fall into the trap, especially since it is a time when we make online purchases.
What to do if you are a victim?
If you receive this type of text message, delete it immediately. More generally, if you are the recipient of this type of message, check directly with the carrier who must deliver a package to you if he is indeed the author. Do not hesitate to report fraud on the Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr website.
Have you already submitted your personal data? Contact your banker to cancel your bank card. Ask them to notify you of any movements that appear suspicious on your account. Better to file a complaint. In the event of a subsequent loss of money, your bank advisor may require such a document to justify a reimbursement.
