No Door Tag!

I got a text message from the post office. It said, “Sorry we missed you. We tried to deliver your parcel today. It then gave me a link to go to FedEx. Looked really official.

Yes, I clicked on the link. No, I shouldn’t have. It took me to a site that looked exactly like FedEx. I mean, exactly.

All kinds of things about how I could pick up my package or have it re-delivered. At this point, I’m wondering why they didn’t just leave it like they always do?

I didn’t want to go pick up the package. I wanted it delivered. So, I stayed with it. Kept clicking. The next page told me I owed $2.32. Well, in my mind, I thought that’s why they didn’t leave it the package. Postage due.

I’m still buying into this. Yes, I typed in my debit card info. Next click. It asked for my driver’s license number, social security number, even my debit card pin number. Uh? Wait a minute.

Crap! Then, I knew. They got me. Scammed. Hoodwinked. Taken. Conned.

Fortunately, I didn’t give any of that info. The debit card though, it was already entered.

So, I went to the “real” FedEx website. It asked for the door tag number? I had no door tag. Just the text message with a bogus package number on it. NO DOOR TAG.

I finally got through to FedEx on the phone. Have you ever tried to do that? It’s a process. They weren’t a ton of help, but told me that it looks like I had been scammed because they always leave a DOOR TAG. Ugh.

I called my bank. Canceled my debit card. A new one is on the way. So far, it appears no unexpected charges. Whew.

Still, I’m mad. Mad at myself for falling for it. I spend a lot of time on TV talking about how the bad guys find new ways to scam us. I should have figured this one out. There was no DOOR TAG.

To my credit, everyone I have shown this to tells me they would have fallen for it, too. It was good. Really good.

And that’s the thing. These scammers are really good. According to the Federal Trade Commission website, scammers are turning to text messages as a new tactic to get to us.

The FTC even titles the consumer alert as “Is that text message about your FedEx package really a scam?” It was published in February of 2020. I guess I’m a little late to this party.

My takeaway here: stay on top of it. Trust, but verify. Dan Rather says it best: “Trust your mother, but cut the cards.” And please, please, always look for the damn DOOR TAG!