Terry Ambrose

Writing is like a good barbecue sauce, if it ain't bold, it ain't worth doing.

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5 tips to avoid a package delivery scam

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scam tip avoid package deliver scams

Shopping online has become the way to go during the 2020 holiday season for most of us. For instance, we get packages delivered by mail, UPS, FedEx, and Amazon delivery. We’ve also heard how the delivery services are all pushed to their limits. With that in mind, I wanted to provide this post with 5 tips to avoid a package delivery scam.

Package delivery scams begin with an email or text

An email or text arrives in your inbox. Your first question may be, how do I know if the message is legitimate? Here are a few clues. First, watch for messages that have been personalized with your first name. Second, be on the lookout for messages that include one of these options. Third, you’re most vulnerable (and should be extra cautious) when you’re expecting a package from a particular shipper and the message says it’s from that same shipper.

  • An unexpected message with a link to check the delivery status of a package. (With UPS and FedEx you can request to receive status updates, so those wouldn’t apply.)
  • A warning that the package can’t be delivered until you update your delivery preferences or your personal information.
  • The package was ‘lost’ and recently ‘found.’ You can claim the package by clicking the included link.

Tips to avoid package delivery scams

Thanks to the explosion of online retail sales, package delivery scams have become much easier to implement. Personally, I know I’m more susceptible to this type of message when there’s a package on the way. One of the first times I saw this scam in action was when I actually was expecting a package and the message arrived a couple of days before my scheduled delivery. With that in mind, here are the first four tips to avoid a package delivery scam:

  • Don’t click that link! You know this, right? (As I mentioned above, this doesn’t apply if you’ve requested status updates from your shipper.)
  • Delete the message to avoid clicking the link by accident
  • If you know how, block the sender.
  • Spam text messages can be reported by forwarding the message to SPAM (7726) and then reporting it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.

Tip #5: What to do if you click the link by accident

Depending upon the spammer’s intention, one of two things might happen. First, it’s possible they might download malware to your computer. To avoid this, keep your antivirus and malware software up-to-date.

The link may point to a fake website where you’ll be asked for personal information, logins, or banking information. Providing any of that information will take you down a rabbit hole and into a realm where you definitely don’t want to be, so close the website, delete the message, and be glad you didn’t go further.

Click here to check out more of my scam tips.

The Vast Platinum Shopping Credit Card — scam or a good deal?

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Vast Platinum Shopping Credit Card

Last week I received an email credit card offer for the Vast Platinum Shopping Credit Card. Not having seen a credit card offer in the mail in a long time, I was curious. With a little checking, it became obvious very quickly that the email was a scam using what is, at best, a dubious, but legitimate, credit card.

The email offer

Dealing with spam (not the canned kind, but the email) can be almost a daily routine. How many times has some wannabe scammer sent out an email without spellchecking their work? Good grief, guys. Listen up, you need to pay more attention to details.

The email I received was from “Subject line.” Really? The actual subject line read, “1000 USD: You are Invited to Apply.” How nice. I was invited. It almost sounds like it would be a privilege to have the card—but then, that’s assuming I’d even want a card with such terrible terms.

The Vast Platinum Shopping Credit Card

The real Vast Platinum Shopping Credit Card isn’t much better than the email solicitation I received. To begin, this card is a store credit card, which means it’s for exclusive use at an online store. Unique Card Services offers this card and it comes with some very questionable terms.

The card comes with an application fee of $29.95 and a monthly fee of $19.95. That’s going to set you back almost $270 your first year. On their website, Unique Card Services has a large box that says there’s no monthly fee on the card, yet in the fine print it discloses that there actually is a monthly fee.

The company puts a positive marketing spin on the card terms—save big bucks shopping online, we never turn down an application, blah, blah. The flip side is the company is gouging unsuspecting people who need access to credit with exorbitant monthly fees and dubious claims. While not an out-and-out scam, this one runs as close to the line as it gets without crossing over. Save your money and find a better deal.

Did you like this scam tip? Take a look at last month’s, 6 tips for dealing with Amazon brushing scams.

Social media shopping scams warning signs and tips

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social media shopping scams

 If you like shopping the sales you see on social media, think twice the next time you spot a great deal. On August 3, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported a rise in social media shopping scams. Read on to see how scammers are using social media for shopping scams.

Cookies, ads, and social media shopping scams

Let’s begin with cookies—and I’m not referring to chocolate chip or anything yummy like that. Google says, “A cookie is a small piece of text sent to your browser by a website you visit. It helps the website to remember information about your visit, like your preferred language and other settings.” So cookies are a major convenience tool for users, right? Well, yes, but that convenience comes at a very high cost. Google uses cookies from your computer for many good things. But besides all that good stuff, cookies are used to sell advertising. They’re also used to provide ‘relevant’ search results. (Seriously? Don’t even get me started on that subject!)

Recently, I was looking for a new flash attachment for my camera. Immediately after doing a little research on Amazon, I started seeing ads on Facebook for camera lighting options. An ad for an excellent product showed up in my timeline. Ever the skeptic, I found the company independently, checked their product ratings on their website and confirmed there were equally glowing reviews on Amazon. That got me more ads. In this case, the original ad was legitimate. The problem is, plenty of people are falling prey to ads that take them to fake websites.

A steal is not always a deal

According to the FBI, an increasing number of victims have not received items they purchased. They purchased these items from websites offering low prices on gym equipment, small appliances, tools and furniture. And let’s not forget face masks. No matter how much you love your social media, using it for shopping is very risky. (It’s the same for news, but that’s a different subject). A social media ad is very similar to an email solicitation—it could be legitimate, or it might be someone out to take your money and give you a shoddy product in return.

Warning signs

Beware the low price: Always suspect low prices from unknown retailers. The FBI reports that victims who ordered face masks received paper masks shipped from China, not the quality product that they ordered. Some victims of social media shopping scams were even told they needed to return the cheap masks to China to get a refund.

Always pay with a credit card: If a seller wants payment using an online money transfer service, don’t fall for it. You have zero protection with a money transfer.

Websites not using .com: Always look closely at the website address. If the domain isn’t a .com, you might be dealing with a scammer. I often use a whois lookup to see who owns a domain name. This is a free tool that can provide you with valuable information—and will also disclose those who are hiding their actual identity.

Free email address instead of company address: Anyone, repeat, anyone, can get a free email address. If you receive an email from an address that doesn’t use the business’s domain name, this could be a scammer.

If you’ve been scammed

Tip #1 Dispute the charges with your credit card company. (You used a credit card, right?) If you didn’t, contact your financial institution and ask for help.

Tip #2 File a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov.

Tip #3 Check your credit report. Once you’ve been the victim of fraudulent activity, expect it to continue. Scammers are not known for their compassion and, depending on how much information you gave them, you may have opened the door to losing more than the $10.95 you spent on those fifty-cent face masks.

If you like this scam tip, check out last month’s tip, Scam tip: free face masks—not really

April scam tip: where’s my economic stimulus check?

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Example Economic Stimulus Check - coronavirus Still waiting for your coronavirus economic stimulus check? There are a number of reasons you might not have received it yet, and plenty more to be wary of offers to help expedite the process. The bottom line is that thieves know you want the money now, and they’re taking advantage of that anxiety in spades.

When will I receive my Economic Stimulus Payment?

The first batch of payments began when the IRS sent payments to Social Security recipients who filed tax returns and included direct deposit information on their returns. The second batch of checks will go to Social Security recipients who did not file 2018 or 2019 returns and receive their benefits through direct deposit. For everyone else, in early May, the IRS will begin mailing paper checks. Five million checks will go out each week and they will be sent to households with the lowest gross income first. The process will continue each week as the IRS works its way up to households with higher gross incomes. According to the House Ways and Means timetable, the entire process could take up to twenty weeks.

Beware of offers to expedite your Economic Stimulus Payment

Unfortunately, some people may need their Economic Stimulus Payment before their slot in the timetable. And therein lies the problem—and the opportunity for scammers.

Scam #1: IRS calling

No matter what you might think, hope, or dream of, the IRS is not going to call you to ask for your confidential information so they can expedite your payment. If your CallerID tells you the caller is from the IRS, it’s a scam. Don’t even answer the phone because if you do, you will engage. If you engage, you’ll be vulnerable. Scammers now have their own call centers with people who have been trained to persuade. Do not give them the opportunity.

Scam #2: Email from the IRS

The IRS does not send emails asking for information. They do not send emails with attachments.  They will not send you a link to expedite your payment. If you receive an email from the IRS, mark it as junk and trash it. Do not reply or click a link in the email because that will, at best, confirm your email address or, at worst, take you to a website that will download malware on your computer. And attachments, well, you get it. Right? 

Scam #3: Let me help you get your payment sooner

This is basically a repeat of the first two scams. The only thing that changes is the name, and quite possibly that you’ll be asked to pay a small fee to expedite your Economic Stimulus Payment. If you do this, be prepared for life in financial hell. You will be opening up yourself—and your bank account—to a very long battle against fraud.

Scam #4: The fake check

A twist on the overpayment scam, this one is bound to trap a lot of people. First off, if the IRS has your direct deposit information from your tax return, they will deposit the money directly into your bank account. If you always rely on paper (believe me, it’s not safer) you should do two things to make sure you’re not being scammed. First, make sure the check is an official government check. It should look something like the photo in this post. Second, use the IRS Economic Impact Payment tool to check the status of your payment. 

Scam Tip: three tips to avoid political scams

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Politics are dangerous ground. Families stop talking,  tensions rise, and people take stupid actions—including making financial contributions to organizations they know nothing about. And that’s the perfect setup for political scams that can cost you thousands of dollars.

Fake Political Action Committees (PACs)

A legitimate PAC must be registered with the Federal Election Commission. PACs have specific reporting requirements, and you can see what candidates/causes they support by looking them up at the Center for Responsive Politics or on the FEC website. No matter what your politics, there’s a PAC to support your team.

Fake PACs, however, have no such restrictions. In fact, they spend much of their money on fundraising or paying salaries to their own executives, not supporting their supposed cause. No matter which side you’re on, make sure your money goes to a legitimate organization, not one designed purely to line the pockets of its organizers.

Ads disguised as news

Part of the way PACs make their money is by advertising. Facebook is the granddaddy of all ad providers. It’s where most people go to interact with their friends, stay informed, and where they pay the most attention to online advertising.

Those Facebook ads are driven by your activity. Did you view a story about a particular candidate or cause? Facebook knows. Did you like a page? Facebook knows. The bottom line is Facebook knows far more that you realize about what you do and don’t like.

Facebook tracks your online activity. This practice makes them a powerful advertising medium—and why Facebook made $21 billion in the last quarter of 2019. If you’re a political activist and want to promote your agenda, target an ad on Facebook. Posts can look like news stories, cite fake sources, and do whatever you want. There’s no problem because Facebook doesn’t even try to weed out fact from fiction. In other words, just because you read it online, doesn’t make it true, but it does create fertile ground for political scams and misinformation.

Three tips to avoid political scams

Tip 1: Check out a political action committee or candidate before you give them money.

Tip 2: Don’t allow online ads to influence you. Those ads can easily lure you into a scam.

Tip 3: Create a script to use when you receive a phone or in-person solicitation. You don’t need to make this elaborate. It can be as simple as, “I’ve already determined my contributions for the year.”

I hacked your device — for real or a scam?

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I had just started to write this month’s scam tip when I received an undeliverable message alert in my email. The message had the subject line, “I hacked your device info@terryambrose.com and you have a problem now…” Not being one to overlook divine intervention (or pure dumb luck), I decided I’d found my November scam tip.

How the “I hacked your device” scam works

So, what’s the deal with the “I hacked your device” email scam? Is it a scammer, or was my device really compromised? While it’s impossible to tell as I write this tip, there is a very high probability this is a scam. In all likelihood, nobody has compromised my device. I’ve lost no data. It’s just a guy who sent me an email in hopes I would pony up money because of his threats.

The bottom line is this is an extortion racket. In the old days, it was two burly guys who showed up in person and demanded money for someone named Vinny. These days, it’s all done online—and is mostly anonymous.

What you can do about this scam

My solution for this email was to look at the source information. According to that, the email came from an IP address that belongs to a company called INAP. On their About page, I discovered that INAP’s mission is to provide “Empowering purposeful, performance-driven IT transformation at global scale.” Their mission sounds pretty ambitious to me, so I sent a message to their “abuse” email and reported the scam.

I received a response about 48 hours later telling me the sender’s information had been spoofed, the originating address was not on the INAP servers, and advising me I should change my login credentials for my email account. Sigh…so much for justice. On the flip side, that email address isn’t even real, so there’s nothing for me to change.

3 tips to deal with the I hacked your device scam

Tip 1: Don’t pay money to someone who claims they have compromised your device. I don’t know the odds on this, but it’s a long shot that the person contacting you is telling the truth. Most likely, they’re looking for an easy buck.

Tip 2: Keep your device software current. By downloading the most up-to-date versions of the apps you use, you’ll minimize your risk. This advice applies to all of your software, not just that designed to handle viruses and malware.

Tip 3: Never connect to an unknown network. In these days of mobile devices and our never-ending thirst for internet bandwidth, it’s tempting to make use of any available internet connection. But, before you sign onto a network, be sure you know who’s running it. Is it a business you frequent? If so, happy surfing. If not, think about finding a different way to satisfy that thirst.