- DeWitt Township Police Chief Matt Merony warns that scams targeting those awaiting packages are increasing, especially through text messages with phishing links.
- These text scams trick victims into clicking malicious links, potentially compromising personal and financial information on your device.
- Merony advises deleting suspicious texts and calling the company directly for verification. To learn more about how to protect yourself, watch the full video.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Even though Christmas has come and gone, some neighbors are still awaiting packages. I'm your DeWitt neighborhood reporter, Russell Shellberg, talking to police about how to make sure that if you're waiting for a package, you don't fall victim to a scam.
Many neighbors placed online orders ahead of Christmas Day, but like me, some haven't seen some of those packages arrive yet. However, I did receive one text from a scammer saying I had failed to provide my address...
"The U.S. Postal Service delivery team, right there," said Merony.
Thursday, I spoke with DeWitt Township Police Chief Matt Merony about package scams—something he says has increased this year.
"They just need you to bite at it first, and then they can work their way in through all of the backdoor technology that they use," said Merony.
Last year, I spoke with Merony about packages being taken from porches, but with technology's role in our lives, he says scams are more prominent.
"My daughters are getting them; it's affected high school students, and I get calls from parents," said Merony.
Merony told me the new way scammers are getting information is through texted links. The sender will provide a link, and when you click on it...
"That's going to take you to the website they want you to go to, and your device at that time could be vulnerable," said Merony.
Merony told me scammers are looking to steal anything they can from your device, including personal and financial information. But when that text comes through...
"If you don't know what it is, just delete it," said Merony.
Merony said that if you feel the need to confirm the text, call the company's customer service line directly and ask.
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