JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Most of us have ordered things online during quarantine, but all that online shopping could make you vulnerable to scammers if you get a certain text about your delivery.
The texts usually address you by name. On Your Side's Kailey Tracy received one that said, "Kailey, we came across a package from March owed to you. Please claim ownership and confirm for delivery here," and then posts a link. Officials say do not click on that link. It's a phishing scam.
"People are doing more online shopping as a result of being home because of COVID-19, and these scammers have picked up on that and they’re going to try to take advantage of it," Amanda Videll with FBI Jacksonville said.
Videll said scammers change with the times, and right now, lots of us are ordering online.
"I think we need to recognize this is a phone for us, yes, but it is also a mini computer and so just like scammers are going to reach out to us through our computers via email, they’re going to do the same thing via text message,” she said.
If you click on the link, it'll ask for personal information, like your credit card information. It may also install malware on your phone without you knowing, Videll said. Scammers can then steal your identity, or drain your bank account, she said.
"The important thing to remember is that criminals change with the times. They are very, very smart and they are very, very creative," Videll said.
She said the FBI has seen a rise in the number of online shopping scams recently.
"It's just a new twist on an old scam," Tyler Wildman, CEO of Identity Theft Countermeasures Group, said.
Wildman said look out for vague messages, like these texts. If it's a real delivery, the message will be more specific.
"Just be mindful of the fact that if you're buying online, there's going to be more people who tend to take advantage of the activity that's going on and just be smart," he said.
"You should know what packages you're expecting and what you're receiving, and you should know what entity either you ordered that package through, or that is delivering it," St. Johns County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Chuck Mulligan said.
You can report the message if you get it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, or to your local sheriff's office.