>
Urgent warning issued to Australia Post customers about a new scam that is very difficult to spot: here’s how to avoid getting scammed
- There’s a New Australia Post Email Scam
- Request payment for incorrect address information
Australia Post customers are warned about a new email scam that attempts to steal your credit card details and personal information.
Cybersecurity expert Mail Guard says the fraudulent email poses as the Australian post, with the subject line: “invalid address, we couldn’t find it.”
It tells the customer that they have entered an invalid address for a shipment and asks for a ‘correction service’ fee of $4.92.
The email appears to come from Australia Post, with the address using the same URL as the postal service’s official website.
But some tell-tale clues will help you spot the scam.
First, Australia Post says it will never ask for payment or personal information over the phone, text or email.
Second, the format of the email isn’t as clean as you’d expect from Australia Post and it doesn’t use any branding except for the red you normally see in their logo.
A new fraudulent email (above) asks Australia Post customers to pay a ‘correction service’ fee for providing the wrong address information
The email also advises the customer that they have only two days to pay the fee and correct their information before the package is returned to the sender.
“The scammer creates a sense of urgency by adding: ‘Note: Unconfirmed registered parcels/letters will be returned to the merchant within 48 hours’ at the bottom of the email,” MailGuard said.
If the recipient clicks on the link in the email, they will be taken to a website using the Australia Post logo and will ask the recipient to provide their phone number, email address, postal address and city.
They are then taken to a ‘card verification’ page and asked to pay the $4.92 fee by entering their credit card details.
“Since the scammer only demands a few dollars, victims may not think twice about the charge when they are eager to receive their package, but the actual cost is much higher. If they enter your data, your personal information and credit card details will be stolen and used for financial or identity fraud,” MailGuard explains.
Australia Post (above) has warned that it will never request a payment over the phone, text or email
As a final step, the recipient is asked to confirm their details via SMS verification, adding to the apparent authenticity of the scam.
“This is common in credit card scams, as the attacker attempts to charge the card to verify that it is valid before saving it for later use,” MailGuard said.
MailGuard warned Australia Post customers who receive the email to delete it immediately and avoid opening any links.