Increasingly often, police are notified about scammers impersonating courier companies who send text messages requesting an additional payment for a shipment. The message received by a potential victim usually reads as follows:
Your parcel has been held due to an underpayment of PLN 0.50.
Or this:
Your parcel numbered PL… requires an additional payment of PLN 0.87. Failure to pay means the shipment will be returned to the sender. Please settle the amount by clicking the link provided…
When someone expecting a parcel receives such a message, they become an easy target for criminals. “The victim opens the link they receive, which contains viruses. An infected phone is a valuable source of information for criminals. Logins and passwords entered on the mobile phone for online accounts or banking applications fall into the wrong hands, and the criminals can empty our accounts completely in a very short time,” explains asp. Krzysztof Oleniacz from the Municipal Police Headquarters in Legnica.
He adds:
Once again, we appeal for caution and careful reading of text messages from alleged couriers, mobile network operators or other companies. Remember not to open the links sent to you and not to provide any BLIK codes or details from payment or credit cards. Spending a few minutes verifying a message can protect us from losing several or even tens of thousands of zlotys.