Scam alert: FedEx warns customers about opening phony texts
If you’ve recently gotten a text message from FedEx, you may want to be use caution when opening it.
Several people have been targeted by a text message purporting to be from the delivery service company. But FedEx has told customers, it’s not them.
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A phony text from the company claims that a package is waiting for the customer to set their delivery preferences. The message includes an apparent tracking number and a link. In many cases, the customer had not placed an order.
Dude this the second time I get this scam text telling me about my @FedEx package that I never ordered.
— Rigo (@Tlatoani_7) January 20, 2020
If u all get somethin like this do not click the link. U can set up a link to get your location. Stay safe peeps pic.twitter.com/mCJUgUsat4
Hey @FedEx I keep getting phone calls and text from this number and they are claiming to be #FedEx pic.twitter.com/tlcQlcoXbJ
— Amanda Ball (@Jays_ballgirl) January 22, 2020
By Wednesday, FedEx tweeted that people should not open the suspicious message, saying they should be deleted and reported to abuse@fedex.com.
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Have you received a suspicious text or e-mail that appears to be from us? Suspicious messages should be deleted without being opened and reported to abuse@fedex.com.
— FedEx (@FedEx) January 22, 2020
Here are more tips to protect your safety: https://t.co/sgedEYSNfF pic.twitter.com/fMnR5Pgn7K
“We do not send unsolicited texts or emails requesting money, package or personal information,” an accompanying infographic said. FedEx’s website further states that if the interaction “resulted in financial loss, you should contact your bank immediately. Consider contacting the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) or your state Attorney General’s office.”
Further information is provided on the warming signs of scams, including certificate errors or non-existent secured sockets layers for sensitive activities.
As for what happens if you don't delete the message and open the link, How-To Geek reported users are taken to a illegitimate Amazon listing that prompts them to take a customer satisfaction survey. The prompt includes the chance to get a reward worth $100. Afterward, users are prompted to fill out a form with their credit card information. There, they'll have to pay shipping and handling for their offer. The fine print discloses users are signed up for a 14-day trial and billed $98.95 each month. Then, they're sent a new supply of the reward they claimed.
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