What Is a UPS Scam and How To Avoid It

Are you worried about the UPS scam and other delivery driver scams? All over the world, people are affected by the UPS text scam. This scam uses fraudulent messages to trick individuals into revealing personal information or making fraudulent payments. In this guide, we will take a close look at different types of UPS scam messages and provide the steps needed to protect yourself.

Current regulations allow data brokers and people search sites to sell your data without oversight. As long as your data is available in a public database, data brokers can sell it. Unfortunately, these people finder sites do not ask why someone wants your data. This means that scammers, hackers, stalkers, and other unwanted individuals can access your data.

Scammers use people finder sites to harvest thousands of telephone numbers. They then use these numbers to send fake UPS delivery driver tests. These SMS scams are incredibly successful because they prey on people who are expecting a parcel.

Anybody who mistakenly believes that a UPS scam text is real will end up following a link to a phishing website designed to steal their personal data and payment details. Cybercriminals use this information to engage in fraud and ID theft. They also use fake versions of the UPS website to infect victims with malware.

In this guide, we will teach you everything you need to know to spot these scams and how to remove your data from the people search sites that scammers use.

What is a UPS scam text message?

The UPS text scam is a fraudulent scheme where scammers pose as UPS representatives. Criminals use fake texts or emails to claim there’s an issue with a delivery. They ask for parcel tracking information or other personal data to steal the victim’s personal information.

The primary goal of these scams is to harvest personal information and defraud people. If you respond to an email or SMS message, or click the link provided, you will be directed to a phishing website that will steal your data. 

Often, UPS scammers claim there is an issue with postage. This type of scam tricks the victim into providing payment for a small additional fee. This is known as a delivery fee scam. If the victim provides their payment details, the scammer will charge your card for a larger amount than expected.

These types of delivery scams primarily rely on numbers. Scammers send out thousands of messages hoping to reach someone who happens to be expecting a UPS parcel. When the scammer hits gold, the victim is more likely to believe that they are communicating with a legitimate UPS representative.

Always remember: UPS will never contact you via text to ask for shipping fees or charges. Any message that requests personal information or payments is a scam!

How do scammers carry out the UPS text scam?

The UPS text scam relies on tricking victims into clicking malicious links or providing their information. Typically, it starts with an unsolicited message pretending to be from UPS. This message will claim there’s a missed delivery, an incomplete address, or a delivery on hold that requires more information or payment.

Clicking on the link in a fake email or text message will forward you to a cloned website that is designed to steal your information. On some occasions, fake UPS messages may request your data directly via text.

Clicking links can also lead to infections with drive-by malware. This gives cybercriminals access to your device to steal all of your data, access your apps, view your contacts, and even take control of the device by using the camera and microphone (depending on the severity of the malware). If you become infected with a sophisticated payload such as a trojan, this could lead to your payment and bank information being stolen.

How to spot a UPS text scam

It is hugely important to learn how to spot the telltale signs of a delivery driver scam. If you learn to spot the warning signs, you will never need to worry about these pesky SMS messages and emails. Below we have included a checklist you can use to identify fraudulent messages:

• Unsolicited messages: If you receive a message about a UPS delivery you weren’t expecting, it’s probably a scam. Fraudsters send out thousands of messages, hoping to contact someone who is expecting a UPS parcel.

• Requests for personal information: Genuine UPS representatives will never ask for personal details via text or email. Avoid responding to messages asking for your name, address, or payment information.

• Urgency or time pressure: Scammers often try to make you act quickly. They know you are more likely to fall for a scam in the heat of the moment. Be wary of messages that pressure you to act immediately and that prey on your emotions (both good and bad).

• Unusual sender email address or URLs: Avoid clicking links in unsolicited messages. Check links and email addresses for inconsistencies. Fake email addresses and domains may look similar to UPS’s but will have noticeable differences.

• Requests for payments or fees: UPS will never ask for payment details through an unsolicited message. If you receive such a message, it’s a scam.

• Poor grammar and spelling: Scam messages often contain errors or unusual phrasing. However, due to advances in AI, scammers are getting better at crafting convincing messages, and cloned websites. This means that it is getting harder to spot fake messages. Remember that real delivery messages will never ask for personal information. If you are concerned, contact UPS via their official website – without following a link.

What are some common UPS scams?

Various scams affect consumers expecting UPS parcels or deliveries. Below, we have listed the most common UPS scams. However, please be aware that hackers and fraudsters are always developing new scams, so it is vital that you are always wary of any UPS messages (or messages from any other delivery service) that you receive.

1. Fake delivery notifications: Scammers send messages about a supposed package to trick victims into providing personal information or clicking links that could infect their devices.

2. Shipping fee scams: Messages claim that you must pay an extra fee to receive your package. If you agree to pay the scammer will defraud your payment method for a larger sum.

3. Package redirection scams: Fraudsters claim that the sender has made an address error and request that you provide the real address to redirect your package. This allows the scammer to get your address for identity theft or other criminal activities. It also initiates the conversations, which may then escalate into a shipping fee scam.

4. Impersonation scams: Scammers pretend to be UPS customer service representatives or delivery drivers to ask you for personal details.

5. Fake prize scams: Victims receive a message saying they’ve won a prize being shipped by UPS, but need to pay a fee. Providing payment details results in fraud.

6. Customer survey scams: Scammers claim to be from UPS and offer rewards for completing a survey. The information you provide is used for phishing or ID theft.

How to prevent the UPS text scam from happening to you

Below, we have included a checklist you can use to protect yourself against UPS text scams:

• Verify communication: Contact UPS directly via their official website or phone number to check whether they are trying to contact you.

• Check sender information: UPS messages will come from official domains or phone numbers. It is also worth checking with the seller of the package you bought to see if they actually used UPS to deliver.

• Resist time pressure: Legitimate companies won’t pressure you to make hasty decisions. Always take your time and head to the delivery service’s real website to talk to them there.

• Enable two-factor authentication: Adding two-factor authentication (2FA) to your UPS account (and any other account where it is available) provides an extra layer of security against unauthorized access.

How Incogni protects you against the UPS text scam

Manually opting out from data broker sites is extremely time-consuming. According to Incogni, it would take 304 hours to request removal from the 180+ data brokers it works with. These removal requests need to be repeated at least twice a year. That equates to 608 hours of work each year.  

For most people, spending such a long time engaging in data removal requests is unconscionable. This is why Incogni offers its service; giving consumers a practical way to guarantee their data privacy.

With Incogni, you can successfully protect yourself against UPS text scams, Amazon scams, eBay scams, and a whole range of dangerous phishing scams. As soon as you subscribe to Incogni, your data removal begins, and your data is removed from people search sites.

Some examples of the websites Incogni removes you from include Spokeo, White Pages, Instant Checkmate, Radaris, and Intelius.

How does Incogni work?

Incogni contacts data brokers and asks them to remove your personal information from their databases. 

First, it checks each database to see whether your data is present. If it finds your data, it asks for it to be removed. 

Incogni lets you know when your data has been removed giving you full visibility over what the service is doing.

Ongoing protection against data brokers and scams

A data broker’s entire business model relies on selling your data. This means that they want to start selling your data again as soon as possible. Even when you ask your data to be removed, they don’t actually delete it. Instead, they put the data on ice and wait a few months before re-adding it.

The main reason for this behavior is plausible deniability. Data brokers know that if they re-add you to their database, they can easily claim that they reacquired your information from the thousands of public sources they scrape. This creates a legitimate loophole they can exploit to keep re-adding your data. 

Incogni knows all about these shady business practices, which is why it never stops searching for your data and sending out new removal requests. With Incogni, you can rest assured that when your data is re-added it is quickly targeted for removal again. 

Track your data removal

One of our favorite features with Incogni is the dashboard. This personal dashboard lets you keep tabs on all your removal requests. This provides everything you need to see when Incogni searches for your data, where it finds data online, and when your removal requests have been granted. This transparency makes the service a pleasure to use.

Excellent value for money

Whether you are an influencer, a public figure, or simply a person who wants to protect your digital privacy, we think Ingoni represents superb value for money. Thanks to the discount we have agreed with Incogni. You can currently use the link in this guide to get Incogni with a 50% discount. This reduces the cost of a subscription to just $7.49 per month.

Benefits of using Incogni

• Reduced risk of identity theft: Removing your data from people finder sites makes it harder for scammers and hackers to exploit your data for phishing attacks, and ID theft.

• Prevent UPS text scams: Keeping your information private makes it more difficult for scammers to target you with scam texts and emails. 

• Less exposure to fraud: Incogni minimizes your exposure to fraud by eliminating data brokers’ access to your information.

• Better rates: Insurance companies often check online to see what they can find out about you removing your data brokers ensures that the results don’t affect your insurance premiums.

How to report a UPS text scam

How to avoid UPS text scams – FAQs

[[post-object type=”accordion” question=”How can I recognize a fake UPS message?” answer=”Look for suspicious signs such as poor grammar, urgency, strange URLs, or requests for data and payments. Assume that a text is a scam and head to the delivery provider’s website or app to track your delivery there instead.” /]]

[[post-object type=”accordion” question=”What should I do if I receive a suspicious UPS message?” answer=”Avoid clicking any links or providing information. Instead, contact UPS directly through the official UPS website.” /]]

[[post-object type=”accordion” question=”Is using a privacy tool like Incogni legal?” answer=”Yes, services like Incogni help protect your privacy by removing your data from broker sites. This is completely legal and empowers you to take control of your information.” /]]

[[post-object type=”accordion” question=”Are there any other tools I can use to protect myself?” answer=”Yes. If you want to protect your data online, we strongly recommend using a VPN. VPN encrypts your data, stopping it from being harvested by local networks and ISPs. This can systematically help prevent the dissemination of your data from network providers to data brokers.

Another useful tool worth considering is Scamio. This is an AI-powered scam detection tool created by Bitdefender. With the free Scamio tool, you can chat with an AI that helps you to identify whether a message is a scam. This helps you to know whether messages are dangerous.

Knowing about this tool can come in handy if you are worried about the messages you receive and want to improve your cybersecurity. You can use it for free to protect against phishing, identity theft, financial loss, SMS scams, and data breaches.

We also advise using other privacy extensions such as Adblock Plus, uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, and No Script. These extensions are designed to block third-party scripts used for tracking. They can help block unwanted popups, and reduce the amount of tracking information collected by website. This is extremely useful when used in combination with a VPN to conceal your IP address from websites.” /]]