Warning over sophisticated Australia Post scam: 'DELETE IMMEDIATELY'
A woman has shared a photo of a highly sophisticated phishing email appearing to be sent from Australia Post, warning people to be vigilant about giving personal details out online.
The woman shared a screenshot of the email she received to a local Facebook group, which on first glance appears to be from Australia Post.
The email says a delivery is on the way from Australia Post, giving a consignment number and estimated date of arrival.
However, the email asks the receiver to pay a fee, providing a link to do so in order to complete the delivery.
How to identify a fake Australia Post email
In the Facebook post, the concerned woman said she received a "very good phishing email purportedly from Australia Post," listing the key differences that alerted her to the fact it was fake.
"1. The email address — click on the email address to see who really sent it. If the company name is not in the @ then it is a [red flag]," she said.
"2. The delivery date has been Americanised - another [red flag]," she added.
"3. The amount to pay is not the way we would write it, ie, it would be $1.99 - but also, as the receiver you are usually not required to pay postage on behalf of the sender. An invoice is sent to the sender.
"4. They have written “Post Australie” - which is French and not English," she concluded the post.
Facebook users commented on the post, thanking the woman for sharing email.
"Always, always click on the email address & check it’s authentic," one woman replied. "A great habit to get into."
AusPost aware of scam
Australia Post said they would never contact a customer asking for personal or financial information.
"We continually monitor for scams in the form of emails and texts that claim to come from Australia Post and we are aware of this scam that has been targeting some of our customers," A spokesperson from Australia Post told Yahoo News Australia.
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"Australia Post will never contact anyone via SMS or email asking for personal or financial information or payment.
"If customers receive a suspicious email or text message that appears to be from Australia Post we encourage them to report it to scams@auspost.com.au and delete it immediately."
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