Experts Warn Of Scam Emails About FedEx Shipments
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Scammers posing as FedEx are sending emails in an effort to collect your personal information, experts warn.
As CBS2's Alice Gainer reported, the emails say a parcel was unable to be delivered, or ask recipients to update their passwords.
The emails look real enough, but when you click the link, it might take you to an unsafe website where you'll be asked to provide more information.
"Literally, what you're doing is just handing your personal information to a scammer," said Claire Rosenzweig, president of the Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York.
Experts also say sometimes the links will download malware onto your computer that will record every keystroke, collecting all kinds of data.
Rosenzweig said 'tis the season for shipping and scamming.
"It could also be a text or it could be through social media," she warned. "There's always something that they want you to do now."
Scammers also pretend to be retailers, banks, UPS and other delivery services.
"I've gotten them from UPS before, or somebody claiming to be UPS," said Jessica Prunell, of Great Neck, Long Island.
"I know when to expect a package, so if it's not something I'm expecting then I'm not going to open it," said Cecil Weeks, of Manhattan.
Rosenzweig said scammers continue to get more and more sophisticated, making it easier to fall victim.
"You could hover over the link, but they've gotten so good, they can even spoof that," she said. "They can spoof the little lock that tells you whether or not a site is secure."
If you're really not sure whether an email is legit, find the phone number for the company, call and ask.
"Not through any phone numbers or links that you see in the email," Rosenzweig said. "You can check on the BBB's website or go online. Find out the real phone number."
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