Don't Rush If You Have a Courier, It may be a Scam!
As the economy grows, so does the incidence of scams. Thousands of people are being victimized each day by thriving financial frauds, with predators spreading their net online and offline to trap innocent people.
India has recently witnessed several scams, such as fake UPI, QR code scams, fake job scams, investment scams, OTP (one-time password) scams, phishing emails, social media scams, malware-laced apps, and more. The latest addition to this category is the courier scam.
The courier scam, also referred to as fake delivery scams and illegal consignment scams, involves a courier boy calling an individual to convey that either an expensive or illegal courier is awaiting them. Many people have received such calls.
In an innocuous-looking call, a courier agent will convey that a package of expensive gifts is waiting for you and that you have to pay a nominal delivery charge to get it. It’s an alarm call saying danger is imminent.
Once the customer pays the requested amount through a link sent by the scammers, there would be another message waiting for you from the bank saying that someone wiped out a significant portion of your savings from the account.
The scammers will breach all your credentials through that link and use it to withdraw a large chunk of money from your bank account. Another way of cheating is claiming that you have a courier that contains illegal substances such as drugs.
The next step is blackmailing. They would want you to give a big amount of money to conceal the drug. In panic, the victim will give the money they asked for to avoid legal problems.
The scammers will also try to impersonate law enforcement officers to bolster their credibility.
Here are some steps you can take to avoid courier scams:
1.Take adequate care before making financial transactions. Ensure the credibility of the call.
2.Don’t believe in random calls made by unknown courier agents.
3.Be aware before accepting an unexpected courier.
4.Don’t share your personal details such as bank account number, PAN card, credit card or debit card numbers, etc., with anybody.
5. Always approach established courier companies.
6.Do not click on unknown links on WhatsApp or emails.
