USPS Delivery Failure Notification eMail and Phone Scam

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is warning customers of a nationwide scam to steal customer’s personal information.The Postal Inspection Service is investigating claims regarding fraudulent emails and phone calls.

A member of the Mendon and Upton Moms and Dads Too Facebook group received a fraudulent email requesting she click a link to print out a postal label under the ruse of the USPS not being to ship a parcel. Luckily she was not duped. Clicking the link to print the label would have activated a virus which could steal personal information such as user names, passwords, and financial account information.

Here is an image of what she received – the ‘to’ name has been removed.

Below is an article from UPSP Postal Employee Network Employees News regarding the phone and email scam

ON GUARD
CUSTOMERS WARNED ABOUT EMAIL SCAMMERS USING USPS NAME

Postal Service customers take note — usps.com recently posted a warning about email scammers using the Postal Service’s name to access valuable personal information.

Customers being targeted receive bogus emails with subject lines containing the text: “USPS Delivery Failure Notification.” The emails claim to be from the Postal Service and contain fraudulent information about an attempted or intercepted package delivery. The emails instruct customers to click on a link to find out when they can expect delivery.

Clicking on the link activates a virus, which can steal personal information — such as user names, passwords or financial account information — stored on the computer.

Customers should simply delete the message and take no further action unless they choose to report the email as spam by contacting abuse@usps.gov.

The email scam is similar to a telemarketing scam uncovered by the Postal Inspection Service in which fraudsters masquerading as USPS employees were phoning residents and requesting birth dates and Social Security numbers as requirements for package delivery (Link, 10/31).

Corporate Information Security Officer Chuck McGann offers these tips on spotting bogus emails:

• The text contains poor grammar or spelling errors.
• The text states immediate action must be taken or customer could face dire consequences.
• The email requests personal information under the guise of re-confirming information.
• The text from an “automated message system” states “Click on this link for details.”

Customers with questions about a delivery by the Postal Service should call 800-ASK-USPS.