Hérault Gendarmes Call for Extreme Vigilance: Beware of Fraudulent SMS About Non-Existent Parcels
Scams are becoming more and more common in today's society. Phishing, in particular, is a growing threat in the digital age. By exploiting techniques of psychological manipulation and deception, cybercriminals use phishing to steal sensitive personal information such as login details, financial data and passwords. This practice aims to deceive you by posing as legitimate entities such as banks, e-commerce platforms or popular online servers. Phishing is often carried out via fraudulent e-mails or emails that imitate specific messages. The consequences of such phishing can be disastrous, ranging from financial loss to identity theft and compromised privacy.
Fake parcels
After the many scams known to cybercriminals, here's the latest find: the fraudulent text message inventing delivery problems for parcels that don't exist. The aim is to steal your personal data from your mobile phone. Once this scam had been spotted, the gendarmes of the Hérault department are trying to warn as many people as possible by launching an appeal for caution on their Facebook account on Sunday 25 June 2023.
The title of the SMS concerning this scam is very simple and recognisable: "Chronopost: Your parcel has suffered a logistical error. Please confirm your details..." At the beginning of this message is the name of a famous company specialising in the express delivery of parcels to businesses and individuals. Don't be fooled by this name. This is an attempt at "smishing", which is a contraction of SMS and "phishing".
What to do in the event of Smishing or Phishing?
In the event of a phishing or smishing attempt, there are steps you can take quickly to avoid falling through the cracks. First of all, when you receive dangerous messages like these, you should delete them directly and report them as phishing attempts on the 33700 platform or by text message to 33 700. These services allow you to block the sender of the message and stop receiving this type of SMS fraud. Another scheme was created in 2017 for this type of scam in France. There is a national system for raising awareness, prevention and assistance for victims of cybercrime. This platform, cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, reminds people to be cautious when receiving fraudulent SMS messages, as they can cause great concern. In fact, they may contain viruses that hack into your smartphones and copy all the personal and confidential data or passwords stored and written down on your phone.
Curious to find out more about the different types of scams? Have a look at our articles on the DHL scam, the wedding gift scam or the Mondial Relay scam.
Secure your purchases with Obvy
We also advise you to use Obvy to secure your transactions.
Obvy offers a payment method specially designed to secure transactions between private individuals. Whether you are buying or selling between private individuals on ad platforms such as Leboncoin or Vinted, Obvy acts as a trusted third party to help you avoid any scams.
In the event of a counterfeit scam, you can quickly and easily return the product to the seller and get your money back. What's more, you'll have all the information you need about the seller in the event of legal action.