Yahoo Finance Australia Post warning ahead of Father’s Day
Aussies have been told to watch out for Australia Post scams in the lead-up to Father’s Day.
Aussies are set to splash out $860 million on Father’s Day gifts this year, and scammers impersonating Australia Post are hoping to cash in on the special occasion.
The Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) is warning Aussies to be wary of parcel delivery SMS and email message scams in the lead up to Sunday.
Scammers will often contact consumers, impersonating well-known delivery services, such as Australia Post.
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“Scam messages might ask you to arrange redelivery of a package, update your delivery details or request payment of a fee, and might contain unusual-looking links,” ACMA said.
“Some SMS scams may slip into your legitimate message streams to trick you. For example, a scam claiming to be from Australia Post may appear among legitimate past messages from the postal service about parcel delivery.”
‘Delete it’
If you’re waiting on a delivery and aren’t sure if an SMS message or email is legitimate, ACMA recommends contacting the sender or delivery service through contact details you’ve found yourself.
This could be through an official website or app, or a tracking number received at the time of purchase.
“Do not click on any links or call any phone numbers in the message, and delete it,” ACMA warned.
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
Call, text or email you to request payment
Ask you to click on an email link to print off a label to redeem your package
Father’s Day spending
About 35 per cent of Aussies plan to buy a gift for Father’s Day this year, research from the Australian Retailers Association with Roy Morgan found, spending $112 per person, on average.
Food and alcohol are set to be the most popular gift for dad (18 per cent), followed by clothing and shoes (10 per cent), and books, music and games (6 per cent).
Meanwhile, about a fifth are planning to spoil Dad with a meal at a cafe or restaurant.
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