Advertisement
Australia markets open in 1 hour 24 minutes

  • ALL ORDS

    8,082.30
    -67.80 (-0.83%)
     

  • AUD/USD

    0.6695
    +0.0015 (+0.22%)
     

  • ASX 200

    7,814.40
    -66.90 (-0.85%)
     

  • OIL

    80.10
    +0.04 (+0.05%)
     

  • GOLD

    2,425.10
    +7.70 (+0.32%)
     

  • Bitcoin AUD

    99,216.75
    -667.29 (-0.67%)
     

  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,355.90
    -17.94 (-1.31%)
     

Australia Post scam targeting customers over Christmas

Expecting a delivery these holidays? Think twice before clicking a delivery message link.

Tamika Seeto
·Finance Reporter
Updated ·2-min read

Aussies are being warned to watch out for fake Australia Post messages this Christmas, with the delivery service sharing the latest scam doing the rounds.

Australia Post said it was aware of multiple fake text messages telling customers there had been an issue with their delivery and prompting them to click a link to fix it.

The link then leads to a fake Australia Post website, which tells the customer they need to pay a service fee to redeliver their parcel. This is a scam and is designed to steal customers’ personal and financial information.

Australia Post scam
Australia Post customers are being warned to watch out for scam messages these Christmas holidays. (Source: Australia Post)

Have you fallen victim to an Australia Post scam? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) National Anti-Scam Centre said it had seen the number of reports of delivery-phishing scams quadruple this year and it was worried Aussies could be fleeced out of cash this Christmas.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Many Australians will be waiting for parcels to be delivered, both ahead of Christmas and following the Boxing Day sales, and you can be sure that scammers will be looking to take advantage of this,” ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said.

Australia Post said it would never call, text or email you asking for personal or financial information, including passwords, credit card details or account information. It will also never call, text or email you to request payment.

RELATED

“Our advice to consumers is to never click on links in text messages or emails, even if you’re expecting a delivery,” Lowe said. “Instead, consumers should independently check the status of their delivery by going to the Australia Post app or website or the courier service they’re expecting the delivery from.”

Aussies lost a reported $720,000 to parcel-delivery scams between January 1 and October 31 this year, with more than 11,000 reports made to Scamwatch.

That’s more than 10 times what was lost last year, with Scamwatch receiving 2,931 reports of the scams with losses ringing it at $56,000 in 2022.

How can I tell if it is a scam?

The ACCC says there are three major signs that a message is a scam:

  1. You receive a text or email about a delivery - Scammers are sending messages claiming a parcel was unable to be delivered or your details need to be updated

  2. It includes a link asking you to provide personal information or payment - They often then have a link, which takes you to a fake website to try to get your personal information

  3. There’s a sense of urgency - Scammers try to pressure you into doing something quickly

Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, and subscribe to our free daily newsletter.

Yahoo Australia