LKA warning: Phishers bait with SMS about failed parcel delivery

The State Criminal Police Office of Lower Saxony warns of a current phishing scam: fraudsters send an SMS in which they pretend to be a parcel or online shopping service and write about an error in the parcel delivery. The SMS contains one or more malicious links – watch out for shortened links in particular, since the destination of the URL is not recognizable.

In a report on the phishing wave, the LKA writes that the texts and links in such an SMS can differ. A possible text of the scam message would be: “Dhl: There was an error delivering your parcel. To confirm delivery, please go to: parcel-delivered.com”. The latter link is the inserted phishing link.

SMS leads to phishing website

The links in the SMS vary, but the destination of the URL always remains the same: a phishing website. Fraudsters try to access personal data and payment data or spread malware on this.

In order to protect yourself from such phishing messages and potentially even malicious links, the LKA recommends turning on anti-virus software. Blocking unwanted app installations should also be worthwhile for Android users – and in an emergency, “safe mode” or a reset of the smartphone should victims click on the links and in doing so infect their device with malware. In addition, recipients should, where appropriate, check the shipment status for an expected package on the respective provider’s shipment tracking website. The following links refer to the parcel tracking of the most used mail and parcel logistics companies:

If personal data or payment details are disclosed, those affected should file a complaint and contact the associated bank. You don’t have to be ashamed of it, because phishing is no longer recognizable at first glance. Such scams usually come in waves, like the comparable “smishing” wave of parcel tracking two years ago. A guide from c’t explains how smartphone users can recognize phishing mails.

(so)