New Yorkers beware! There is a scam coming to a cell phone near you and you need to protect yourself. If you have received a text message from the United States Customs and Border Protection it is IS A SCAM. If you receive a text from the United States Postal Service it COULD BE A SCAM. I'll explain.

Take a look at the images below to see an example of a text I received this week. I am not expecting a package so I became curious and did some investigating. The text message below is a SCAM. Protect your identity and DO NOT click any links.

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The United States Customs and Border Protection and the United States Postal Service state that they never call citizens and they do not send unsolicited messages to individuals. If you received a text stating that you have a detained parcel, this is a scam.

The criminals hope is that you will click on the link they provide, opening up access to your phone, computer and personal information. Don't even respond to the text. Delete and report your findings to family, friends and officials.

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The United States Postal Services (USPS) refers to this type of scam as "smishing". Here is their definition:

'Smishing', a form of phishing, is an unsolicited SMS (text) message. Victims will typically receive a deceptive text message that is intended to lure the recipient into providing their personal or financial information. These scams often attempt to impersonate a government agency, bank, or other company to lend legitimacy to their claims. - USPS

518 News, text scam in New York, smishing scam in New York, United States Customs and Border Protection, United States Postal Service
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