DHL message "We could not deliver a package" can cost 700 euros

Created: 12/26/2021, 10:12 AM

From: Lisa Bender

Customers who are currently receiving an SMS about a delayed package should be careful.

Behind this is fraud.

Victims report losses in the three-digit range.

Dortmund - Black Friday is just over and the Christmas business is just around the corner: For DHL, Hermes, DPD and Co. this means that the parcel shipping business is in full swing.

For customers who have currently ordered something and are expecting a package, however, it is important to be careful, because there is currently a fraudulent message in circulation that is particularly tough.

This is what RUHR24 reports.

Warning of a DHL message about a delayed parcel: This is a fraud

In view of the upcoming Christmas season, many customers who have ordered their gifts online, for example, naturally want to know whether the package will arrive on time.

A message like “

 or 

 tempts you to click.

But such a click can be expensive.

Because fraudsters have also taken advantage of the package boom caused by Black Friday and Christmas and brought this lousy news into circulation.

However, behind them is a forgery with fatal consequences.

The

has already reported on numerous victims who received information about a delivery via SMS and, at the end, received a three-digit invoice.

Customers who have currently ordered something via DHL or another delivery service should therefore be careful (more warnings from RUHR24).

Package SMS from DHL and Co .: Customers face a loss of 700 euros

Because as the consumer advocates state, the fraudulent DHL SMS only serve as a means to an end to steal personal data and take over the phone.

If customers, who may be expecting a package, click on the message, the following happens: malware is installed on the smartphone, which then sends SMS messages every second.

In the end, the cost of the SMS is borne by the victim.

If you don't have an SMS flat rate, you may have to expect a cell phone bill of several hundred euros at the end of the month.

Some victims who have turned to the consumer advice center reported bills for over 700 euros after such a smishing attack.

Fraudsters repeatedly use messages from DHL to gain access to customers' data and money (symbol image).

© Ole Spata, Oliver Berg / dpa;

Collage: RUHR24

If the fraud is noticed quickly by the customer, it can still be too late.

Because as the consumer advice center indicates, the providers block the affected SIM cards in a timely manner.

But all SMS that have been sent up to that point must be paid for.

Since shipping happens in seconds, it can still be expensive.

DHL SMS is fraud: that's what victims should do

When a flood of fraudulent packet SMS was already in circulation in spring and summer 2021, the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office recommended the following first aid trick to victims: If you accidentally click on the link and thereby install the malware on your smartphone, you should activate airplane mode immediately.

That could help to avoid further damage.

To get rid of the malware, customers can also do the following:

• Restart the smartphone in safe mode.

  So it is possible to search for recently installed programs.

  The malware can then be found and uninstalled.

• For even more security, the cell phone should be reset to the factory settings.

  But be careful: you risk losing all of your data.

Clicking on the wrong package SMS can cost up to 700 euros - do not accept fraud

However, victims of such spam attacks do not have to accept the cost of the fraud.

"Anyone who receives a high bill from their mobile phone provider as a result of a smishing attack shouldn't just pay it, but defend themselves," advises Julia Rehberg from the Hamburg consumer center.

For example, customers who have become victims of the package fraud scheme should request an itemized bill from their provider.

Screenshots should also be collected to prove the fraud.

With this you can prove that the SMS was sent automatically every second.

The consumer advice center offers a free sample letter in order to be able to lodge an objection.

Affected customers can use the evidence they have collected to file a complaint with the police.

Parcel SMS fraud is entering the next round: DHL and the consumer center give tips

Since it is not the first time that DHL is involved in fraudulent schemes, the parcel service has also published tips on how to declare war on such phishing attacks.

Package customers should be better protected against rip-offs.

The parcel deliverer advises the following:

• First of all, you should always ask yourself whether you are expecting a package at all and have activated the SMS notification.

  If so, you should check whether the relevant retailer has sent a shipping confirmation.

• Examine the sender carefully.

  It often shows that it does not come from dhl.de.

  The real sender is: DHL Paket.

  Correct links lead to http: //mailing.dhl.de / ..., https: //nolp.dhl.de / ..., or https: //www.paket.de/pkp / ...

• If you want to be on the safe side with shipment tracking, you can simply enter your shipment number manually at DHL at: http://www.dhl.de.

As stated by DHL and other parcel service providers, fraudsters not only use SMS to get their customers' data and money, but also e-mails.

The nasty thing about fake emails: The fraudulent emails look deceptively real.

The cyber criminals adapt the design of the spam messages to the original extremely precisely, so that they can hardly be distinguished from those of the parcel service.

The same applies here: Customers should always look at the sender or check where the link leads.

If that looks like a dubious website or email address, caution is advised and it is better not to click on the link.

*