LETTERS: New scam targeting Canada Post customers
Ed. Note: the author of this letter has asked to remain anonymous, which is not our usual policy. Howerver, they have disclosed their identity/address/rationale for requesting privacy with this editor, and I am satisfied both that they are who they say they are and that their reason for wanting anonymity is 100 per cent valid.
Dear Editor.
Can you please warn your readers about a malicious scam.
I sent a Canada Post flat rate parcel to a friend in Lethbridge. It is to be delivered today, Dec 2. Last night I received a text message stating:
“Canada Post Parcel status update: Unable to deliver due to recipient unavailability or address mismatch. For more details, please visit: https://t.me/iv?url=t.co/
Of course I did not click the link, as Canada Post does not send personal messages about tracking.
Canada Post tracking still shows it will be delivered this afternoon, and the only place my phone number shows up is on the parcel itself. At some point in my parcel’s journey, someone got my phone number and the expected delivery date off the address label. I did forward the message to 7726, the shortcode to report spam to my mobile phone carrier.
I will discuss this with the Canada Post retail outlet I sent it from today. I can only assume at this point someone with access to the parcels is harvesting the addresses and phone numbers. With Christmas coming this can trick and hurt a lot of people.
Update:
I spoke with a local Canada Post representative. They understood something was amiss and gave me their Customer Service number. The Customer Service agent also shared my concerns. It was noted the only way to get my phone number is by physically accessing the parcel. They directed me to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) but, due to high call volumes, I was directed to file the report online, which I did.
In closing, both Canada Post employees were very helpful and shared my concern. I hate to think someone at one of the distribution centers along the way is harvesting data, but I really don’t know what else to think. Maybe a new hire to help with rising Christmas parcel volumes? At any rate, now is prime time to run scams. I hope your readers remain vigilant and verify via official channels rather than clicking a link.
Signed,
A Concerned Reader
