Illinois BBB Warns The “Delivery Text” Scam Is Big In Illinois

The "Delivery Text" scam is just another offshoot of the extremely popular (not with regular people, just scammers) "Text Scam." However, just because it's an offshoot doesn't mean that the scam isn't claiming a lot of victims in Illinois and across the nation, because it most certainly is.

Text scams, also known as "smishing," involve fraudulent text messages that attempt to trick recipients into revealing personal information or clicking on malicious links. These scams often impersonate legitimate organizations or offer prizes, and they lead to financial losses and identity theft for many victims. Here are a few examples:

• Prize/Sweepstakes Scams: Scammers claim recipients have won a prize or sweepstakes and ask them to click a link to claim it. The link leads to a fake website that requests personal information or charges fees.
• Bank Account Impersonation Scams: Scammers pretend to be from a bank, claiming there's an issue with the recipient's account and requesting personal information like a password or account number.
• Financial Scams: Scammers may claim to have noticed suspicious activity on an account, request payment information, or send fake invoices.
• Romance Scams: Scammers engage in online relationships, build trust, and then ask for money or other personal information.

Then, there's the Delivery Text Scam, which seems to be claiming the most victims.

Maybe Not Everyone Is Interested In Prizes, Sweepstakes, Or Romance--But Almost Everyone Has Packages Delivered To Their Home

Think about this for a second. Based on some recent research, the average American has around 162 packages delivered to their home every year. Multiply that outward, and you can easily see how there are literally millions of opportunities for scammers every single day.

And the scammers are taking full advantage of those opportunities. So much so that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) felt compelled to issue a consumer alert about delivery text scams:

In a new Data Spotlight about the big jump in reported fraud losses involving text scams, the FTC notes a study finding open rates (people opening a text) can be as high as 98%. Those are really good odds for a scammer. And when scammers get you to respond to their messages, they’re cashing in.

New Data From The FTC Shows That In 2024, Consumers Reported $470 Million To Scams That Began With A Text Message--5 Times Higher Than In 2020

The number-one text message scam of last year will that will also probably end up being the number-one scam of this year, is the Delivery Scam.

The scam generally works like this:

You'll get a text that seems to be from UPS, USPS, FedEx, etc. Maybe it confirms your order, says a package is out for delivery, or that there’s a problem with unpaid postage, a missed delivery, or you need to update your shipping preferences. That text message will say to click a link to learn more or fix the problem. Don't do it.

Instead, verify your delivery by reaching out to the company you're buying something from. They'll have the truth for you. Never, ever click on a provided link or call a provided phone number from the text. (click here for more safety tips from the FTC)