14 DAY TRIAL // In the recent period a lot of people have been receiving phone calls or emails from someone claiming to represent a delivery company that has a package ready for them. In the end, people pay sums of money for services and products that don't exist and that's why it's important to know how to protect yourself.
According to SCAMwatch, Australia has been highly targeted by this scheme but these incidents are known to occur all around the world.
In most cases crooks will send emails or they'll call their targets pretending that the company is in the possession of a package destined for the victim. They claim that a payment needs to be made in order for the delivery to arrive at its final destination.
The main reason specified by the villains is that the parcel was too large and that's why the additional sum of money is required. They might ask for online payment or international wire transfer but the latter variant should make anyone highly suspicious.
In some situations they even require additional personal information which may later be used to get in the possession of the victim's assets.
Beware of such phone calls or email messages. If you are expecting a package, call the business that handles the delivery and ask if the information you got is correct. Make sure to use emails or phone numbers found online instead of using the ones provided by the person who contacted you.
Since a legitimate firm will never ask you for payment for an undeliverable mail item, the best thing you can do is hang up the phone or delete the email.
If by mistake you fell victim to such a scam, alert the authorities immediately. Also contact your bank to make sure your credit is closely monitored for suspicious transactions.