Avoid Getting Scammed By A Fake Courier Company

One of the most pervasive scams that you have likely experienced is the fake courier company scam. You receive an email saying that a courier company tried to deliver a package to you, but they need more personal information or payment to complete the delivery.

It’s a trick to get you to give them personal information so that they can steal your identity, or get payment information so they can steal your money. This is a major problem for people and businesses as it can lead to a rather expensive and disruptive set of problems. Here is how you avoid getting scammed by fake courier companies.

Why Are There Fake Courier Company Scams?

Fake courier company scams are an easy way to get access to people’s accounts. This is especially true of people who regularly receive packages or run a business. They mistake the email for a legitimate thing that they ordered, and it’s too late by the time they figure it out.

Just like any email-based scam, it is easy to target victims at scale anonymously. That’s why many scammers think that such a scam has a high rate of return with relatively low risk. However, it is an easy scam to avoid if you have a few practices in place.

How to Avoid Being Scammed by a Fake Courier Company

Avoiding this scam is among the easiest scams to prevent. It just requires that you have a system in place to investigate and prevent possible responses to scam emails. Take these steps to ensure that you are safe.

Don’t Respond to the Email Unless You Are Sure

The easiest way to protect yourself from this and any other email-based scam is to not respond to the email unless you are sure it is legitimate. The way that most email scams work requires you to respond for the scammer to be successful. If you don’t respond, then they can’t do anything to you.

Take the time to investigate the situation before responding. Use the other steps on this list to see if an email is legitimate or not before you take action.

Are You Expecting a Package?

If you are not expecting a package or have no reason to receive a package from an unknown company, then the email is likely a scam. Companies do not just ship you a package out of the blue. You must have ordered something or that company will contact you through a means that is easier to verify.

For example, a company could send your business a sample of their product for you to sell in your stores, but that company will have a conversation with you before sending you something. This method makes it much easier to verify that they are going to send you something and gives you advanced notice. Any company that would try to send you something out of the blue without telling you first is not a company that you should open random emails from.

Verify Company Information

If you are unsure if the email is legitimate, start by verifying company information. Go online and look up:

• The name of the company
• Its address and phone number
• Business licensing

All of this information should be included in an email from a legitimate business. Go online and see what you can find about the company. If there are discrepancies or you can’t verify that information, disregard the email entirely.

Check Their Online Presence

If you can find the company online, check its online reputation and presence. There is a lot of information that you can find online to avoid a fake courier company package delivery scam and protect yourself. Some things to look up:

• Do they have a website?
• Are there online reviews of the company?
• Do they have a reputation for being a scammer or being suspicious?
• Can you find anything about them online?

Any legitimate business should have a web presence that you can verify via a website. Avoid responding to or even opening emails from businesses that you can’t find online.

Avoid Text Messages

In recent years, scammers started taking advantage of text messaging for this scam too. The rules are largely the same for this scam, whether it is through text or email: don’t respond if you cannot verify the company’s information or online presence. Responding to a text lets them know that they have reached a real person who is willing to talk to them, which means they will continue to contact you until they get what they want. Avoid the hassle by not responding to the text message.

Check Your Internal Orders and Deliveries

Another way to see if this is a scam is to check your internal orders and deliveries. Do you have orders that have not been fulfilled yet? If you do, then do more research to make sure the company is legitimate. Otherwise, there is no reason for you to receive this email in the first place.

What Should I Do If I Already Responded to a Fake Courier Company

If you already responded to a fake courier company, don’t panic. The first thing that you should do is assess the information that you gave them. If you didn’t give them enough information to do anything with, then you probably don’t have to worry.

Assuming that you gave them information they can use to steal your identity, contact your bank. Have your accounts put on hold or watched for suspicious activity. If your bank can prevent new accounts from being opened or transfers being made, then you have a good chance of stopping any problems. Also, contact the credit bureaus so that they can watch for fraudulent activity.

Prevent Problems By Being Informed

Fraud is everywhere, but you can avoid it in the future by understanding how people try to scam you. The best way to do that is to to stay up to date with how you can protect yourself online with updates from Anti Fraud News. That way, you always know exactly what to look for to keep yourself safe.