The Bradley County Sheriff's Office is warning people about a new scam that has hit the Cleveland, Tennessee, area, according to a news release.
Fraudulent "delivery notice" postage cards claim the recipient has a package that is being held and provides a phone number to call in order to schedule delivery. Once the recipient calls the number, the scammer will try to gain personal identification and financial information, claiming it is needed to "verify the correct package recipient."
This kind of scam tends to appear during the holiday season as a way to prey on people expecting packages in the mail, the release states.
The front of a fraudulent "delivery notice" postage card scam is seen in this photo. The scam cards claim the recipient has a package that is being held and provides a phone number to call in order to schedule delivery. Once the recipient calls the number, the scammer will try to gain personal identification and financial information, claiming it is needed to "verify the correct package recipient." / Photo provided by the Bradley County Sheriff's OfficeTo protect yourself and your loved ones, the BCSO offers these tips to identify a fraudulent card:
1. If the card doesn't contain a company logo indicating what carrier attempted to make the delivery, it's most likely a scam and should be thrown away.
2. If the phone number on the card contains a local area code, it's most likely not a way to communicate with a major shipping company and should be discarded.
3. If unusual work hours are indicated, it's most likely a fraudulent scammer and the card should be thrown away.
If you receive a fraudulent "delivery notice," it's important that you don't respond to it in any way and discard of it immediately, according to the release.