Online shopping is the solution for our times - but when buying and selling online, it's worth keeping your eyes peeled at all times. The zaufanatrzeciastrona.pl portal draws attention to the fact that our parcel post labels have recently been used by cyber criminals for nefarious purposes. InPostomaniacs, don't fall for it!
The whole story of the scam starts more or less like this: The scammer starts by tracking down an attractive sale offer on one of the popular shopping sites - he chooses expensive goods, preferably new, not necessarily at a super attractive price. He contacts the seller by e-mail, expresses interest in the purchase, but stipulates that he will only accept cash on delivery (...). In order not to burden the seller with the cost of his/her mistrust, the fraudster pretending to be a buyer offers a seemingly fair solution - he/she will pay the cost of such a service himself/herself. - reads the article published on the zaufanatrzeciastrona.pl portal
What happens next is easy to predict. Well, if you agree to the scammer's offer, then - to put it bluntly - you are lost. You give the cybercriminal sensitive data: your phone number, email address and account number. In return for providing this data, you receive a fake label from the criminal in the mail which you then stick onto the package with the item you are selling and you are done - the criminal has everything he needs to deceive you. People who are less aware of cash-on-delivery mechanisms and how Parcel Machines work fall victim to this parcel-on-delivery scam. - emphasise the authors of the article.
Obviously, the label you receive on your email address is a fake and does not come from us. And although it apparently looks real... the sender of this dangerous message with a fake label is not InPost. Just check the email address of such a message. How does it work? In practice, the criminal modifies the label before sending it and copies the barcode from another label (for a regular parcel, no collection), and this makes it so that when the moment comes to collect the parcel from the Parcel Machine, the machine will not ask him to pay. Simple, but effective.
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How not to fall victim to a label scam?
In this case, it is enough to stick to two rules: only use mail order solutions offered by sales platforms (e.g. OLX Parcels to Parcel Post) or organise shipping to the buyer on your own. If you decide on the latter option, it is best to use the tried and tested unlabelled shipments from the InPost Mobile app or send the package with the label by szybkienadania.pl . For parcels on delivery, it is most convenient to use the Parcel Manager platform ( manager.paczkomaty.pl ).
As always, we strongly urge vigilance and caution. If you would like to find out more about online safety, please visit our tab InPost Security .
Be attentive online!
*The quotes and screenshots used in the post are from the trustanatrzeciastrona.co.uk website. Thank you.