How to recognize and deal with delivery text scams

In the last year, online sales grew by 27.6% globally compared to the previous year. If you’ve been ordering more products online, you’ve probably had parcel delivery text messages. 

However, this has become a good way for scammers to make money in the pandemic. In fact, according to the consumer group Which?, 60% of people have had fake delivery texts, like “your parcel has been delivered”, in the last 12 months. 

Unsuspecting consumers are being sent a link to collect their parcel, which then directs them to a fake website requesting personal information, and sometimes asking for a payment. 

Scammers find numbers and text as many of them as possible with the same message. Luckily, 79% of people in the survey knew it was fake. But, some people end up becoming victims. 

The survey found that 3% of people ended up losing money to these scams, in which the scammer pretends to be from a well-known delivery company. There have even been cases of bank accounts being hacked as a result and consumers losing large sums of money.  

How can you protect yourself?

Here are some of the ways you can protect yourself from these types of scams: 

1. Always be cautious

The majority of delivery companies would never send an external link in a text. So, if you receive one, don’t click on it without checking first. One sign that it’s fake is misspellings in the domain name, but if you’re not sure, always contact the company directly. 

2. Report it

If you receive a scam text, you can protect yourself and others by reporting it to the relevant authority where you live, or by sending it to the network operator. 

3. Contact your card provider

If you click on a link and make payment to a company that you believe is a scam, the next step is to contact your card provider or bank as soon as possible. The quicker you contact them, the higher the chances of you getting your money back.