The ‘USPS package damaged’ text you just got is a scam

There’s a new package delivery scam doing the rounds that’s targeting Canadians.

Fraudsters are impersonating the United States Postal Service (USPS) in an attempt to steal personal information.

I got a text message today stating that a USPS package that was supposed to be delivered to me had sustained damage and that the address on it can’t be read anymore. I was actually expecting a package, so at first glance, the message seemed genuine. However, I know that Canada Post is supposed to deliver my package and not USPS, which prompted me to re-read the message.

The text message poses a sense of urgency, asking potential victims to fill out their addresses and contact details via the provided link. This link, however, leads to a counterfeit USPS website which looks similar to the original one, designed to harvest your data. Check out the text message below:

“USPS mail package in the process of transportation, due to damage to the outer package, address information is lost, can not be delivered. Please be sure to update the delivery address information in the link within 12 hours.
https://usps.postalas.top
(Please reply Y, then exit the SMS, re-open the SMS activation link, or copy the link to open in Safari)
The USPS team wishes you a great day!”

It’s important to note that these scammers are not affiliated with the USPS and have no information regarding any actual packages. They send out such messages to a large number of people at once with the hopes of trapping a few. The USPS classifies such scams as ‘Smishing,’ short for SMS phishing.

To report USPS-related smishing, send an email to spam@uspis.gov.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen package delivery-related scams. Canadians also routinely receive fraudulent texts from scammers impersonating Canada Post. Read more about it here.

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