“Do not click on links in unsolicited emails or text messages. Instead, visit the courier service’s official website for updates,” the office said.
Report scams and attempted fraud
Canada Post encourages customers to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center in the event that they receive a suspicious email, text message or phone call related to the postal service.
Timothy Byrnes said the scams goal not only nationally known brands, but additionally firms like his own, Montreal-based courier service Jet Worldwide.
“The fraud thing is huge,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘Hey, we’ve got (the package), it’s at Jet Worldwide without delay.’ Once you could have transferred the cash, we’ll instruct Jet Worldwide to ship it.”
A text message circulated over the weekend that presupposed to be from the U.S. Postal Service said a package had been “temporarily held” as a result of an “invalid zip code.” The message asks recipients to delete the package by clicking a link. The website, vaguely harking back to the Postal Service’s, then asks visitors to enter their bank card number and “expiration date” to pay “some service fees.”
Several web browsers have flagged the location and warned of phishing threats attempting to steal personal and financial information.
“Always check where it comes from,” Howell said.
“Did you order something that cost $10,000? Just because it says you did it doesn’t necessarily mean you did it.”
