X

Avoid the new text message scam about package deliveries

Beware of a text asking you to "confirm for delivery" for a late package. It's a scam targeting online shoppers.

Alison DeNisco Rayome Managing Editor
Managing Editor Alison DeNisco Rayome joined CNET in 2019, and is a member of the Home team. She is a co-lead of the CNET Tips and We Do the Math series, and manages the Home Tips series, testing out new hacks for cooking, cleaning and tinkering with all of the gadgets and appliances in your house. Alison was previously an editor at TechRepublic.
Expertise Home Tips, including cooking, cleaning and appliances hacks Credentials
  • National Silver Azbee Award for Impact/Investigative Journalism; National Gold Azbee Award for Online Single Topic Coverage by a Team; National Bronze Azbee Award for Web Feature Series
Alison DeNisco Rayome
2 min read
gettyimages-1024775444

If you get a text asking you to click a link about a late package, just delete it -- it's a scam.

Getty/Karl Tapales

A new text message scam has been making its way around the country, trying to trick people into entering their credit card information by purporting they have a package to claim -- taking advantage of this year's surge in online shopping as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

img-5653-1

A new text message scam is targeting online shoppers. The wording varies slightly, but it uses your name and states there is a package awaiting you from months earlier.

Screenshot by CNET

Over the past two weeks, people across the US have been receiving text messages with wording similar to this: "[Name], we came across a parcel from [a recent month] pending for you. Kindly claim ownership and confirm for delivery here," along with a link.

This is a scam, and you should avoid opening the link, a spokesperson from the Better Business Bureau told CNET. 

Read more: The best antivirus protection for Windows 10 in 2020

When you click the link, a page tells you that the alleged package is free of charge, but you're still asked to provide your credit card information

The best thing to do to avoid falling victim to this scam is to delete the message as soon as you get it. If you've already clicked the link and/or entered your credit card information, you should run antivirus software on your phone and then watch for suspicious credit card charges, the BBB spokesperson said. You can also report the message to the BBB Scam Tracker

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to coronavirus-related scams, which cost consumers about $12 million in just the earliest months of the pandemic, according to the US Federal Trade Commission. You can find out how to protect yourself against scams here.

Watch this: Here's how scammers are using the coronavirus to cash in