Tagged: delivery Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 4, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , delivery, , , ,   

    New delivery scam in time for the holidays 

    By Greg Collier

    By now, many of us should be familiar with the text message delivery scam. In that scam, scammers send out text messages posing as popular delivery services such as UPS, FedEx, and even the United States Postal Service. The text message claims a delivery can’t be made to the recipient’s address, and asks the recipient to click on a link provided in the message for further instructions. Once the link is clicked, the recipient is taken to a malicious website that asks for personal and financial information, so the delivery could be made. In reality, the scammers are looking for this information to commit identity and financial theft.

    This is a popular scam throughout the year, but incredibly popular during the holiday season, when most people are expecting deliveries to their homes. Now, scammers are taking a more straightforward approach by calling their potential victims directly. The callers are identifying themselves as drivers for the various delivery services. The phony drivers claim they have a delivery for you, but can’t find your home. Then, like the text message scam, the scammers start asking for personal and financial information so they can supposedly make their delivery. If you tell them you’re not expecting a delivery, the scammers will try to tell you that you’re being sent a gift from a friend or family.

    The best way to protect yourself from this scam is to keep track of your deliveries and who they’re being delivered by. Most vendors will provide you with a tracking number from that delivery service. If you receive one of these scam calls, but still have concerns, hang up and call the delivery service customer service number from their website. They’ll be able to let you know if you’re receiving a legitimate delivery and its status. Never give out your personal or payment information, even if someone is claiming to be from a company you trust.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on June 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: casting call, delivery, fitness tracker, ,   

    Scam Round Up: Fitness Tracker Scam and More 

    By Greg Collier

    If you tend to shop online, you may want to keep an eye out for a recurring delivery scam. A woman from Kansas was expecting a delivery of medical equipment in the mail when she received a text message. The message claimed to be from the US Postal Service, stating her delivery was $0.30 short on postage that she would need to pay. The text message contained a link which took her to a website that appeared to be the official USPS website. Since she thought the website was official, she gave them her debit card information. Luckily, her bank caught the charge and notified her she had been scammed. She did have to cancel her debit card and get a new one, which can be an inconvenience if you tend not to carry cash.

    There’s also a similar scam to look out for where the text messages say your delivery will be late or couldn’t be delivered. These text messages claim to come from services like UPS and FedEx, along with USPS. These messages should be ignored and deleted. Instead, check the tracking number of your delivery to see if there are any actual issues.

    If you’re the theatrical type or looking to get into the entertainment industry, you may want to be aware of fake casting calls. For example, South Carolina is where the show Outer Banks is filmed. Fake casting calls for extras were posted to social media. The scam listings were said to be a ploy to ask potential extras for money to be in the production. The official casting agency says that’s not how it works, and they would never ask for money.

    Like any other job offer, research the company you would be dealing with to make sure you’re dealing with the actual company and not some impostor company.

    Lastly, if you’re into fitness and use a fitness tracker, you may want to be wary of the online communities which some of the trackers can connect you to. The groups themselves can actually be beneficial, especially to those who may be struggling with their fitness goals. But just like most online communities, scammers lurk among the members.

    According to reports, scammers will approach a victim about their fitness goals. After a while, the scammer will get more friendly before asking for money with some story designed to manipulate your emotions behind it. It almost seems like a low-key version of the romance scam. The scammers will also insist on communicating with them outside the community page or app.

    To better protect yourself, try not to use a photo of yourself as your profile picture. Also, don’t share any personal information with people you don’t know in regular life.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 22, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , delivery, , , , ,   

    Scam Round Up: Black Friday warning and more 

    Scam Round Up: Black Friday warning and more

    By Greg Collier

    This week in the Scam Round Up, we’re bringing you a reminder of an old scam, a new twist on a persistent scam, and a warning about this year’s holiday shopping season.

    ***

    The grandparent scam is still out there and shows no signs of slowing down. It’s becoming almost as common as the arrest warrant scam, which we’ll get to shortly.

    An elderly Florida woman recently lost $16,000 to the grandparent scam. A scammer called her, posing as one of her grandsons, and claimed he needed $50,000 for bail because of a car accident he was in. This scammer hit all the beats, saying he hit a pregnant woman with his car and not to tell anyone else in the family. The victim sent the scammers $16,000, which was all she had in savings. Her family found out when the victim started asking her friends how she could get more money.

    If you have an elderly relative, please let them know about this scam. If you receive a call like this, don’t say the grandchild’s name. This lets scammers know they have a potential victim on the phone. Ask the caller a question that only that person would know, to see if they are who they say they are.

    ***

    As we have said on multiple occasions, the arrest warrant scam is probably the most common scam in America. It’s at least the most reported one. Not a day goes by where we don’t see a report from some police department or sheriff’s office warning their residents of this scam.

    Typically, scammers call their victim posing as police while telling their victims they have an arrest warrant out for them. In most cases, the scammers will say the arrest warrant is for missing jury duty.

    More recently, residents of a Chicago suburb started receiving voice mails stating they had arrest warrants. They were then instructed to call a number that did not belong to their local police department.

    It’s unknown what happens when the fake police phone number is called, but all arrest warrant scams are designed to scare the victim into making some kind of payment that will make the warrant magically go away.

    No law enforcement office or agency will ever call you to demand a payment over the phone. If you receive one of these calls, hang up and call your local police at their non-emergency number.

    ***

    With Black Friday being this week, scammers will be out in droves trying to separate you from your money. This year, the Better Business Bureau is saying that the scammers will be more inclined to pose as a delivery company like UPS or FedEx than posing as a retailer like Amazon or Apple.

    This means scammers will be sending out texts and emails claiming you missed a delivery, or they need additional information to make the delivery. These messages will contain a link for you to click on. If you click on the link, you could be taken to a phony site that looks like the legitimate one from that delivery service. You’ll then be asked to input your personal information. Sometimes, you’ll be asked for your financial information for a redelivery fee, which isn’t a real thing. The phony website could also inject malware into your device, stealing even more information.

    As always, do not click on links in text messages and emails from people you don’t know personally. If you think there’s a problem with your delivery, go to the retailer’s website, and they’ll have the tracking information.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on January 2, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , delivery, , ,   

    That missed delivery might be a fake 

    That missed delivery might be a fake

    Even with the holiday season over a number of us will still continue to make purchases online throughout the year. We will also be checking our email to make sure our packages are being delivered on time. We might even go to the websites of the US Postal Service or whatever delivery service the vendor is using to see exactly where are packages are at this moment. Leave it to the scammers to prey on our fear of missing our deliveries to try and inject yet another scam into our lives.

    Once again, the Better Business Bureau is warning us about a pair of scams that are targeting online shoppers. In the first scam, you’ll be sent an email that looks like it came from a vendor claiming that the package is undeliverable. You’ll be asked to click on a link to resolve the issue where your computer could be infected with malware. The other scam is a little more analog. Scammers will put a notice on your front door claiming that they tried to deliver a package and will ask you to call to reschedule the delivery. When you call, the scammers will try to get your personal information.

    The BBB recommends that if you receive one of these notices on your door, never give any personal information to the scammers. Delivery companies will never need to know your Social Security or credit card numbers. If you receive one of these phishing emails, hover the cursor over the link to see exactly where the link might be taking you. And if there is an actual problem with delivery, go directly to the delivery service’s website instead of clicking the link in the email. This will go a long way in keeping your information more secure.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 11, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , delivery, , ,   

    Be careful of random packages at your doorstep 

    Be careful of random packages at your doorstep

    Today, we’re bringing you a handful of scams from around the country. Remember, just because they may not be happening in your town doesn’t mean they can’t.

    Our first story is out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where unrequested packages have been showing up at random homes. Scammers are allegedly using stolen information to have high-end items like smartphones sent to random houses. The scammers then keep an eye on the homes where the items are to be delivered so they can pick them up. While this was a good attempt by the scammers to cover their tracks, two men have been arrested for their alleged part in the scheme. A good way to help protect yourself against this is to sign up for the US Postal Service’s Informed Delivery service.

    Speaking of unwanted packages, we’ve discussed the brushing scam before. It’s where you’ll receive a number of packages from a retailer like Amazon that you didn’t order. By law, you can keep those packages, however, they’re being sent by third-party vendors from overseas who are looking to use your information to post positive reviews of their products with your name listed as a verified purchaser. It’s gotten so bad for one man in Charlotte, North Carolinas that he says he’s been receiving nearly 30 packages a week since July. If this happens to you, your amazon account may have been compromised. It’s recommended that in this case that you change your Amazon password and check your account for illegitimate purchases.

    Lastly, the state of Texas is warning its residents about a potential insurance scam. The Texas Department of Insurance is reporting that a group claiming to be the Consumer Insurance Association is offering discounted insurance rates over the phone. This group is not licensed in the state of Texas and could be part of an identity theft operation. Never just give out your personal information over the phone to anybody who cold calls you. If you feel like they may be a legitimate company, research them first before divulging any sensitive information.

     

  • Geebo 7:23 am on July 23, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: delivery, , , , tipping,   

    Your delivery tips may not be going where you think! 

    Your delivery tips may not be going where you think!

    In today’s immediate response needed society, many of us use food delivery services like UberEats or DoorDash to have food delivered to our home. These services became popular once consumers found out that they could have food delivered to them from restaurants that don’t normally deliver. Can’t get out of the home and need to get a decent meal delivered for dinner? Just use the app for one of these services and you can have dinner delivered to your home in no time. Now, while it may be convenient for you this convenience comes at a cost. Is that cost burdened by the restaurant? No. Is it the platform itself? Sort of. However, too much of the cost may be burdened by the delivery drivers themselves.

    A recent report from the New York Times had one of their writers and go out and work as a delivery driver for these gig economy platforms. In order to make any decent amount of money, many of these drivers have to work for several different services while trying to comply with the rules and demands of each. trying to juggle all of those demands increases the likelihood that they could lose out on deliveries. Meanwhile, they’re not really employees of any of these companies and are seen more like independent contractors. This way these companies don’t have to provide many benefits to their drivers.

    To make matters worse, according to the Times report, some of these platforms consider tips as part of the drivers’ base wages. For example, if you tip your delivery driver through the platform’s app, that tip may just be taken off the top of whatever they were going to make for that delivery. In essence, tipping just reduced their pay. Not all delivery platforms are like this, but The Verge has a list of companies that do and don’t count driver tips as base pay. So the next time you order lunch to be delivered, try to keep in mind the person delivering your food and what they’re going through as well.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on June 10, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: delivery, , ,   

    Would you trust WalMart in your home? 

    Would you trust WalMart in your home?

    There used to be a time in our country where home grocery delivery was commonplace. However, that was before we started moving to the suburbs and usually at least one person was home most of the time. Now, with as busy as we all are we can’t afford to have someone home all the time to wait for a delivery person. That’s why a number of companies are trying out home delivery programs where you don’t have to be home to get your groceries. The nation’s leading retailer Walmart is now one of those companies testing this option.

    Recently. WalMart announced they’ll be testing a home delivery option where a delivery person will deliver groceries into your home if you’re not there. That would require a customer to have a smart lock that would allow a delivery person into your home to place the groceries directly into your fridge. The test program will be rolling out in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Vero Beach, Florida. Walmart says that delivery people will have worked with WalMart for at least a year and will be equipped with body cameras so you could watch the delivery remotely.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0THVdc1snQE%5D

    If you’re uncomfortable with a stranger in your home, WalMart has said that this attitude among consumers will change. They cite rideshare services as an example as consumers used to be wary of getting into other people’s cars but that attitude has since relaxed. They believe home delivery like this will also have a similar attitude shift. However, with ridesharing, you’re getting into a driver’s car. Letting someone into your home, especially when no one is there, is a whole other level of trust that consumers may not be willing to give.

    Would you be comfortable allowing a delivery person into your home under WalMart’s proposed security measures? Please let us know in the comments below.

     

  • Geebo 9:13 am on April 25, 2018 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , delivery, Key In Car,   

    Amazon now wants access into your car 

    Amazon now wants access into your car

    Recently, it was announced that Amazon has started a new delivery program called Amazon Key in Car. It’s similar to their Amazon Key service which allows delivery people to leave your packages inside your house, except now deliveries are left in your car. Once again, Amazon is asking you to put a lot of trust in them for the sake of convenience.

    This is an idea that Amazon has been toying with for some time now as previously they were said to be working with some kind of smart license plate holder in order to gain access to your car. However, Key In Car relies on existing service in order to open your car. In order to get Key In Car deliveries you need to have a late-model GM vehicle with the OnStar service or a Volvo with their On Call service. Of course, you’ll also need an Amazon Prime account and the service is only available in 37 cities so far.

    While many people will no doubt consider Key In Car as a viable option for them, to me it seems like it has too many points of failure to be trustworthy, not to mention the privacy issues. In a lot of cases, cars can contain more personal information than homes as many of us spend an inordinate amount of time in our cars due to long commutes or other circumstances. That’s not even taking into account the information Amazon could gain access to through the OnStar and On Call services. We’re all up in arms about Facebook’s privacy leaks but since Amazon is sending us creature comforts we’re more than willing to give up our privacy.

     

c
Compose new post
j
Next post/Next comment
k
Previous post/Previous comment
r
Reply
e
Edit
o
Show/Hide comments
t
Go to top
l
Go to login
h
Show/Hide help
shift + esc
Cancel