My cousin in Phoenix got a weird text about a package and almost clicked

She got a text saying her FedEx delivery needed an address update with a link, and she was about to tap it because she was expecting a real package. I told her to check the sender number, and it was from a random 10-digit number, not a short code like real alerts. She checked her actual FedEx account and there was no issue, so it was just a phishing attempt. Anyone else deal with these fake delivery texts lately and have a good way to spot them?

3 comments

3 Comments

laura_chen4129d ago

Actually think you might be overreacting a bit here. Lots of legit businesses use regular ten digit numbers for texts now, not just short codes. I've gotten real alerts from my pharmacy and even my doctor's office from a normal looking number. If she was truly expecting a package, clicking to check the link isn't always crazy, you just have to be smart about what info you put in. Telling people to never click anything just makes them ignore all messages, even the important ones.

angelarivera29d ago

Laura_chen41 has a point about real businesses texting, but telling people to just be smart is like telling someone not to fall off a bike. Most folks just aren't checking the url that close before they click, especially when they're expecting something. The safe bet is still to open the actual app yourself.

lucash5329d ago

Honestly the whole panic over clicking a link feels overblown sometimes. If you're already logged into the real app or website, checking a link isn't an instant hack. The real problem is when people type their info into a fake page. Just looking at a url doesn't mean you got scammed.