Beware: New USPS Holiday Shipping Scam Targeting Illinois Residents

With the holiday season in full swing, scammers are preying on the urgency of gift-giving with a new USPS text message scam making rounds now in Illinois.

Beware of New USPS Text Scam

Today I received a scam text that I came way too close to falling for.

The text was "from" the United States Post Office and basically said that a package I had shipped was being help due to having an invalid zip code.

Now, from the outside, this text seems a little fishy, but when you have been shipping multiple packages per week via USPS for the last month, seeing a text like this can be pretty alarming. Thankfully, I took a moment to stop, read, and think before panic hitting the weblink contained in the text.

Here's a screenshot of the text I received...can you spot all the questionable things contained in it?

After taking a good look at that text, I spotted three big red flags within it:

1. The weird phone number it came from.
2. The "U.S. Post" part it starts with...I'm pretty sure anyone contacting me legitimately from the USPS would refer to themselves as the United States Postal Service.
3. The tracking link to click...do you see "usps" anywhere in that web address? (So shady!)
4. The entire text is worded very poorly and is slightly confusing.

Sadly, the text I received is just one example of USPS text scams that are targeting Illinois customers, and they are always changing and coming up with new ways to steal our information.

The most important thing to remember is this; if you receive a unsolicited text from USPS that contains a weblink to click, it is mostly likely a scam, and DO NOT CLICK IT!

What To Do When You Receive a USPS Scam Text

Here are a few things you can do when you receive a scam text from USPS according to the United States Postal Inspection Service:

• Report it online to the United States Postal Inspection Service.
• Call or email USPS directly to verify any claims made in the text received.
• Block the number in your phone's settings.
• DON'T CLICK THE LINK.

For more information on USPS holiday phishing and smishing scams, visit the United States Postal Inspection Service's website here.