SMS scams can be hard to track but people can be careful about clicking on website links that could allow hackers to access their device.
The fake courier scam is now being targeted under the guise of India Post and the Indian government has shared a big message for people in the country. The warning is serious because these SMS scams have the potential to steal your personal information by asking you to share details on malicious websites provided via a URL within the message and people are being asked to be careful of such instances.
INDIA POST FAKE MESSAGE ISSUE: WHAT PIB SAYS ABOUT THIS SCAMThe PIB team has shared a post on X which talks about this fake news spreading through the internet and making sure people are aware of such scams.Have you also received an SMS from @IndiaPostOffice stating that your package has arrived at the warehouse, further asking you to update your address details within 48 hours to avoid the package being returned ⁉️#PIBFactCheck✔️Beware! This message is #fake pic.twitter.com/8tRfGDqn1r— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) June 17, 2024
“Have you also received an SMS from India Post stating that your package has arrived at the warehouse, further asking you to update your address details within 48 hours to avoid the package being returned?” says the PIB post. And then it confirms that this message is fake and India Post has not issued any messages like that.INDIA POST FAKE MESSAGE: WHAT IT LOOKS LIKEIn case you do get an SMS from India Post over the next few weeks, it will read like the following:“Your package has arrived at the warehouse and we attempted delivery twice but were unable to due to incomplete address information. Please update your contact details within 48 hours otherwise the package will be returned. Update the address in
the After the update is complete we will try to re-deliver within 24 hours.”
Have you also received an SMS from @IndiaPostOffice stating that your package has arrived at the warehouse, further asking you to update your address details within 48 hours to avoid the package being returned ⁉️#PIBFactCheck✔️Beware! This message is #fake pic.twitter.com/8tRfGDqn1r— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) June 17, 2024
The SMS also has a link where you can update the contact details for the delivery. The biggest red flag about the message has to be the attached link, which reads as indiapos.gvs.top/IN. Most government agencies use the .gov.in URL for their websites and the actual India Post url has the same. You can always cross-check for these links online before opening them as they could offer access to your device/account to bad actors.