Fake text messages and emails are being sent in the name of the Finnish postal carrier Posti as part of a phishing scam, the mail service provider reports.
The messages announce either the arrival of a parcel, that an award of some kind that has been won, or that there are unpaid delivery costs associated with a parcel delivery. Each of the fraudulent phishing attempts asks the recipient to click on a link to continue.
The messages use the Posti name and look authentic. They may also arrive to phones or email accounts as part of previous mail or messaging threads that informed recipients of package deliveries from Posti, for example.
Posti warns against opening any unusual or unexpected links, and advises recipients of the messages to delete them without opening them. Clicking on the links may result in unknowingly ordering a product or registering as a long-term subscriber to a publication, the company says.
The national postal carrier points out that a genuine parcel delivery notice would not contain a link that must be opened to proceed, or require that the recipient provide personal information. Normal notices of this kind from Posti simply supply the pick-up location and address where a parcel can be retrieved.
Most phishing schemes to trick unsuspecting customers into divulging their sensitive information are done in the name of a well-known company or organisation, Posti notes.