RCMP warns of an ongoing phishing campaign using emails claiming Canada post has a parcel held in your name.
A new email scam has been making its way around the country, trying to trick people into entering their financial information by purporting they have a package to claim.
On November 30th, a concerned citizen reached out to Quadra Island RCMP regarding a suspicious email that supposedly came from Canada post.
The email states that Canada Post has a parcel held in your name that requires personal information to claim and pay outstanding delivery fees because the label was damaged. The email was quite similar to the official Canada Post email, consisting of legitimate logos and links to payment options.
The main concern is that when people enter their payment information, hackers get all the details of their credit cards – address, card number, expiry date, and CVV number – to make purchases on other sites.
“Unfortunately, these kinds of phishing emails are all too prevalent,” said Const. Maury Tyre, Campbell River RCMP spokesperson. “For the most part, these types of scams target those with the least amount of knowledge on internet usage and email systems, and sadly that often means that senior citizens can be extremely vulnerable to these kinds of scams.”
These phishing scams claim to be from common providers like Amazon, Apple, financial institutions, and Netflix. Scammers create fake emails from these services in hopes that you engage with them and divulge your personal information. They will tell you something is wrong with your parcel or account and ask for your credentials and other financial information to rectify the issue. Most of these emails carry links to fraudulent websites designed to look legitimate or closely resemble the valid ones.
“Some people really will want to respond to these emails, and its because they look very, very real,” said Tyre. “If people are concerned that there is a problem with their account or that someone has a package for you that you need to claim, you can check to see if its legitimate by exiting your email, doing a search and finding the company’s customer service email and contact them directly to ask if there’s a concern. Do not click links within the emails; they are likely to take you to a fake website.”
“Unfortunately, so often, if you have been defrauded online, it’s been done by people in countries where Canadian law enforcement agencies have no reach, which is why the focus is very much on education,” said Const. Tyre.
- Poor Grammar
- Spelling errors
- Irregular structure/fonts
- Suspicious attachments or links
- Lousy graphics
- Generic greetings like “Dear user” or “Dear Customer” instead of your name.
- Pointless urgency to enter your details or verify your payment method.
Phishing and other online scams have grown into intensity during the surge in online shopping due to the pandemic. If you have received any such email or have been a victim of online fraud, report to your local policy agency and to The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.