Posted on 08/18/2021 4:38:26 AM PDT by sodpoodle
This seems to be the latest scammers trick. Very clever!
Scammers - Surprise Package Delivery
This is very clever. I would probably fall for it, if not warned. Give this wide distribution. This scam is very clever. Just when you thought you'd heard it all. Be very careful out there! Beware of people bearing gifts!
The following is a recounting of the incident from the victim:
A week ago I had a phone call from someone saying that he was from some outfit called: "Express Couriers" (This name could be any courier company). He asked if I was going to be home because there was a package for me that required a signature. The caller said that the delivery would arrive at my home in approximately an hour. Sure enough an hour later a uniformed delivery man came with a beautiful basket of flowers and a bottle of wine. I was very surprised since there was no special occasion or holiday, and I, certainly, didn't expect anything like it. Intrigued, I inquired as to who the sender was. The courier replied, "I don't know, I'm only delivering the package."
Apparently, a greeting card was being sent separately. (The card has never arrived!) There was also a consignment note with the gift.
He then went on to explain that because the gift contained alcohol,there was a $3.50 "delivery/verification charge" providing proof that he actually had delivered the package to an adult (of legal drinking age), and not just left it on the doorstep where it could be stolen or taken by anyone, especially a minor.
>p>This sounded logical and I offered to pay him cash. He then said that the delivery company required payment to be by credit or debit card only, so that everything is properly accounted for, and this would help in keeping a legal record of the transaction. He added, "Couriers don't carry cash to avoid loss or being, likely, targets for robbery."
My husband, who by this time was standing beside me, pulled out his credit card, and the "delivery man" asked him to swipe the card on a small mobile card machine with a small screen and keypad. My husband was asked to enter his PIN number and a receipt was printed out. He was given a copy of the transaction. The guy said everything was in order and wished us a good day and left.
To our horror, between the next day and the following 4 days $4,000 had been charged/withdrawn from our credit/debit account at various ATM machines.
Apparently, the "mobile credit card machine" which the "delivery man" carried, had all the info necessary to create a "dummy" card with all our card details including the PIN number.
Upon finding out about the illegal transactions on our card, we immediately notified the bank which issued us a new card and our credit/debit account was closed. We personally went to the police where it was confirmed that it is definitely a scam because several households had been similarly hit.
WARNING: Be wary of accepting any "surprise gift or package" which you neither expected nor personally ordered especially if it involves any kind of payment as a condition of receiving the gift or package. Also, never accept anything if you do not personally know, or there is no proper identification, of who the sender is.
Above all, the only time you should give out any personal credit/debit card information is when you yourself initiated the purchase or transaction!
PLEASE, pass this on, it may just prevent someone else from being swindled.
THIS IS A MUST READ AND PLEASE LET FAMILY AND FRIENDS KNOW TOO!
Wonder which city/State or where this happened.
Many now have front door cameras that record who is at the door. Unless the “delivery man” is an innocent individual there will be a way to ID them and aid in the prosecution.
Assuming you live in an area where the police actually look for criminals and the DA actually prosecutes them.
Thank you for posting this info. The scam answers seem legit... you need to sign since it contains alcohol... you need a cc since the transaction for booze has to be verified etc...
I don’t take phone calls from people I don’t know. That would be my recommendation to mitigate this scam.
Found it on Snopes! Should have checked before posting:(
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/delivery-courier-scam/
Sydney, Australia in 2008.
One of the advantages of living out in the sticks, we get few scammers in person because it’s not worth the scammer’s cost of gas, rural people can see BS from miles down the road, and our property is fenced and gated. Only had 1 case of attempted scamming (possibly robbing) here, from fake electricity plan salesmen who looked like tweakers, a few years back.
This sounds like an urban legend, think of the cost, time, and low probability os success for this scam. There are so many other ways for scammers to get your card number. It would be far easier to place a crook into a food establishment and skim cards there.
Also, a credit card does not use a PIN. PINs are used on ATM cards.
Even if it did happen in Australia... it is a smart scam. I know of two neighbors that get wine shipped to them and they do have to sign for the delivery. I would imagine a lot of folks would offer their cc especially if they are looking at a flower arrangement and wine carried by someone in a “delivery outfit”.
This one is more in your usual line:
Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping.
Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic.
Don’t be naive enough to think it couldn’t happen to you or your friends.
Here’s how the scam works:
Two seriously good-looking 20-21 year-old girls come over to your car as you are packing your shopping into the trunk.
They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts.
It is impossible not to look.
When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say ‘No’ and instead ask you for a ride to a nearby Home Depot.
You agree and they get in the backseat.
On the way, they start undressing.
Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts crawling all over you, kissing and touching you everywhere, while the other one discretely steals your wallet.
I had my wallet stolen July 4th, 9th,10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, & 24th 29th. Also August 1st, 4th, twice on the 8th, 11th, 13th, three times last Saturday and very likely again this upcoming weekend.
So tell your friends to be careful.
P.S. Walmart has wallets on sale 2.99 each
One of the biggest advantages living out in the sticks, is you can dig a hole just about anywhere and no one would know.
Plenty of credit cards use PINs also. Not just restricted to debit cards.
No;)
The Moderator would have pulled it as too risque!
**** a credit card does not use a PIN. PINs are used on ATM cards.****
maybe in Australia ?
Snopes - in it’s usual twisted way - says that the scam really happened. So your post was a righteous one. Thanks for posting!
and not just left it on the doorstep where it could be stolen or taken by anyone, especially a minor.
This is the giveaway. If it needed a signature, a real company wouldn’t just leave it on the porch. You’d get a notice that it needed a signature.
I can’t believe anybody fell for this, this sounds so obviously scammy
I got a call a couple of weeks ago from a number in Jamaica (according to my phone). A young man in a heavy accent asked me if I was familiar with Publishers Clearing House and will I be home for the rest of the day...
I laughed and told the young fellow he needed to work on his game. I hung up and blocked his number.
Pull out a long cotton swab in a test tube and tell him you need to take a DNA sample before you submit your credit card to the machine... see what happens.
If it doesn’t seem right, it isn’t.
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