This scam, which happens year round, might catch some unwary gift-senders this holiday season. It’s what I call the Delivery Missing Address scam and it is very much international.

Most versions of this scam come in via text message. While the details vary, they state they come from either your local mail service or a well-known package carrier. Something has gone wrong with your package, oh no! Sometimes it’s stuck in customs, sometimes it’s stuck in a warehouse because they ‘can’t deliver it’. So they want you to provide some information, often within the time limit of 24 hours - and while you’re at it, pay a small fee.

Needless to say, no mail or package service will contact the recipient in regards to incorrect information - they will let the sender know. It also inevitably points to a domain that in no way, shape, or form is the official website for that company.

Several versions of the scam also have you reply (so that the scammer knows they have a live mark - this may lead to further scamming down the road) and then go to the website in question.

How to protect yourself
First of all, ask yourself: how do they have my phone number to text, but not my postal address? Especially if this is coming from your local mail service, they should be able to figure that out.

Also, if it really is an issue, the service would contact the sender first. Not the recipient. (If you did send something and got hit by this scam, the same general advice applies, but also remember that you were probably not asked for your phone number in the first place.)

In addition, if there is a package, then you’d expect not only enough information to identify the package, but also for the link to go to your local service provider.