Has Anyone Received An Email Like This Please?

[Caran]

UPS Notification
Our company`s courier couldn`t make the delivery of parcel.

REASON: Postal code contains an error
DELIVERY STATUS: sort order
SERVICE: Three-day shipping
NUMBER OF parcel: BQXV6BA5HF
FEATURES: No


Open the attachment for details.

An extra information:

If the parcel isn`t received within 20 working days we will have the right to claim compensation from you for it`s keeping in the amount of $8.88 for each day of keeping of it.
Thank you for using our service.
UPS Global

[jno]

it's not always easy... plenty of companies do send out notices of delivery or delay by email (eg Amazon), and sometimes if you're waiting for something you do have to check emails apparently sent by them.

But if you're not waiting for something, it's a scam.

[factor-fiction]

A good guide to spam is whether a sender addresses you in the email by name or 'dear customer'

[jno]

also check exactly where the email's come from. It might say UPS in the subject line but then say the email is actually from [email protected].

[Hopkirk]

I had an e mail once claiming to be from the Royal Bank of Scotland.

It looked realistic, but unfortunately they spelt Royal wrongly.
They had it as Ryoal

[Caran]

They have just sent another one with my full name on it!

[Hypognosis]

Caran,

if we adopt the working theory that the scammers have bought (or stolen!) a database of online customers, can you think which organisations you have supplied your full names to: -
a) by means of a computer
b) verbally, by phone
c) a written application form, with a box that you ticked becasue you DID want to receive further info/special offers from them?

[Caran]

Over the years there must be hundreds. But last night before this came I bought something off Amazon.

[Hypognosis]

No, the point I was making is that you need to think about which organisations you have given your FULL names to.

Check your amazon account information and remind yourself whether you gave them your full name or not.

The scammer would have to be extremely quick off the mark for there to be any link with your recent amazon activity. Put it down to coincidence, for now.

Incidentally, beware of emails containing links _supposedly_ to Banking, Paypal, Amazon websites. Hover your mouse cursor over the link and look at the bottom left corner of your browser window for a preview of where the link goes. If it's unrecognizeable to you - a long list of random characters, for example, it's probably a spoof website.

Annoyingly, many retailers still put clickable links (sometimes disguised as a push-button) in their (legitimate) mailings though some now add a comment like "if you don't trust emailed links then log into ourcompanyname.com normally, via your browser, instead".

[Caran]

Hypognosis I am a 70 year pensioner who is not very au fait with technology. I don't really understand what you are saying. Please help.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

Change your passwords Caran.
Never click on those links.
I can assure you that a courier would never charge you to hold your goods. They would notify the sender that there was a problem and then they would return to sender if the correct information wasn't forthcoming.
If you see a link from a site you trust, go to that site in a new window via google and try it there first to see if they really do want to get in touch with you.
NEVER sign in to anything from an email link.

[Caran]

Could this have raised from Amazon?

[Hypognosis]

Hi Caran,

Apologies if that was overly technical.

Basically, all you need to know is that you should not be taken in by the fact that an email addresses you directly by name. This in no way increases its veracity or makes it genuine.

When you use your computer to do shopping online, you must have submitted your email address and full names to a website, in order to transact with them. That information has gone into an electronic database and (common knowledge, I thought) these are often sold from one company to another, for marketing and advertising purposes.

At some point, a nefarious person has gained unauthorised access to this database and is using the email addresses and name information to send out scam emails - in this case personalised with their full names.

I, personally, am bothered by this sort of thing. You needn't be. All you need to do is disregard and delete the offending email.