Got an SMS from ‘post office’ with a link? Don’t click

Beware of post-office scam in Bengaluru with fake messages asking for personal details, leading to financial loss.

After the courier scam, now post-office scam is being reported in Bengaluru. Many people have reportedly received messages that seem like they are from a post office with links that redirect them to other web pages.

“A few days ago, I got an SMS, not from a number but a combination of letters which resembled India Post. It said a package which was supposed to arrive for me was stuck in the post office due to an incorrect address and I needed to update my address to receive it. Around the same time, I was expecting a package too, so I immediately clicked on the link only to realise that it was not India Post’s authentic website,” said Harish S., a resident of Subramanyapura.

He added, “When I went online on Instagram the next day, I found out it was the latest scam, and some people across the country lost their money because of this. Many people also said they received such messages when they were expecting a delivery.”

Nishika D., a resident of Indiranagar (also received a similar message. The message said, “Your package arrived at the warehouse but cannot be delivered due to incomplete address information. Please confirm your address in the link and we will ship it within 24 hours.” The message also had a link.

While both Harish and Nishika did not lose any money as they doubted the genuineness of the message, earlier this month, a businessman lost over ₹32,000 after filling his address and bank account details on a similar link. Bengaluru City Police officials said seven such cases have been reported from different parts of the city this year. Police officials cautioned people not to click on such links and report the message to cyber police.

Apart from such messages, some also reported that they were receiving messages about random parcel deliveries to random addresses with links to track the delivery.

Officials of India Post said such fraudulent messages come to their notice too. “We received a few complaints about these messages. But we never ask customers to use such links to furnish any details. We do not have such requirements. We have been publicising the same on our social media pages,” said Rajendra Kumar, Chief Post Master General of Karnataka Circle.