THE United States Postal Service has warned customers of a certain package that’s a dead giveaway their information was stolen.
What at first appears to be a gift could turn into a data breach nightmare.
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The USPS has announced that delivery scams are on the rise and urged customers to know how to defend themselves.
One tactic plaguing customers is called “brushing,” and this is especially popular during the holiday season.
That’s because it involves delivering random parcels or inexpensive products for free in order to take advantage of consumers.
The random items are delivered straight to people’s doors in an attempt to boost online reviews.
Crooks use stolen names and addresses to ship these boxes, making it seem like a real customer bought the item.
Postal Inspector Brook Robinson says scammers use brushing to inflate product sales and ratings, all while harvesting personal info, reported NBC affiliate KSL.
“If customers receive brushing packages, it is important to report them to (the US Postal Inspection Service) and make a plan to protect your personal data,” said Robinson.
“If you receive an unsolicited item, you may keep it, throw it away, or return to sender,” she added.
She said that recipients are allowed to keep, toss or return the items.
But it’s not just a harmless freebie, some packages include printed QR codes that could snatch your data the moment you scan them.
Robinson urged customers not to scan codes or click links from unknown sources.
“If you receive an unsolicited item, you may keep it, throw it away, or return to sender,” she said.
The USPS, which is based in Washington DC, also warned customers to watch out for phishing and smishing.
Smishing attacks show up as fake texts pretending to be from USPS, often urging users to click a link to track a mystery delivery.
But the USPS doesn’t send tracking information via text and they never send links.
USPS says it’s ramping up efforts to clamp down on these scams as part of its 10-year Delivering for America initiative.
Four changes needed at USPS
THE head of the US Postal Service issued an urgent warning about changes needed at the agency. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy laid out four big challenges in a letter to Congress in March:
- Retail Leases: DeJoy asked for help reviewing nearly 31,000 retail centers and the challenges of renewing leases due to ownership consolidation, urban development, and rising rental rates as long-term leases expire.
- Counterfeit Postage Crackdown: DeJoy highlighted USPS is combating an estimated $1 billion issue with counterfeit postage and called for “additional innovative solutions” to tackle the problem.
- Federal Law: DeJoy stated unfunded congressional mandates imposed by legislation are costing USPS between $6 billion and $11 billion annually.
- Regulations: DeJoy criticized “burdensome regulatory requirements” that limit USPS’s ability to operate normally, estimating that the Postal Regulatory Commission has caused over $50 billion in damage with defective pricing models.
Source: AXIOS
The $40 billion plan is aimed at securing and modernizing mail delivery across the country.
“We’re taking an aggressive step to make the delivery of mail and packages more secure and reliable,” said USPS communications specialist Sherry Patterson.
Patterson said the program is meant to create a high-performing, financially stable postal service for future generations.
The initiative also focuses on preventing mail-related crimes and protecting carriers from rising incidents of violence.
USPS works closely with the US Postal Inspection Service, the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency to stay on top of threats.
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