Debbie Lee, 30, a Koreatown, LA resident, recently received a text message claiming to be from the United States Postal Service (USPS). Since she frequently receives packages from Korea, she paid close attention to the message.
The message stated that a package was being held due to an incorrect zip code. It prompted her to click on a link and re-enter the zip code.
“My family in South Korea often sends packages through the post office, so I didn’t think anything of it,” said Lee.
“But when I clicked on the link, it asked for a lot of personal information, including my credit card details. I found it strange because my family in Korea had already given me a tracking number for the package,” Lee explained.
Southern California residents, including Korean-Americans, are being warned to be on high alert for ‘smishing’ scam texts that impersonate the United States Postal Service (USPS). These fraudulent messages are designed to trick recipients into clicking on a link and sharing personal information under the guise of resolving a delivery issue.
The USPS Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm of the postal service, recently issued a warning about the rise in USPS-themed smishing scams, particularly during the holiday season. Officials are urging the public to avoid clicking on links in suspicious texts.
The scam has been circulating across Southern California, including Los Angeles, since early December. The fraudulent texts, often originating from numbers beginning with “+63,” claim to be from “U.S. Post.” The messages falsely state that a package is being held due to an incorrect zip code, prompting recipients to click on a link to “update” their information within 24 hours.
The link directs users to a website mimicking the USPS official site (https://usps.com-trachuxn.top/us), where they are asked to input sensitive information, including their name, phone number, address, and credit card details.
In response, USPS emphasized that it does not notify senders or recipients of mail issues via text. The postal service clarified that any legitimate texts sent as part of its mail tracking service use only “five-digit short codes” for both the sender and recipient.
ABC7 News quoted a USPS official as saying that the Postal Service never requests personal information via text, phone, or email. The USPS Inspection Service is urging the public to report scam texts to spam@uspis.gov or by texting “7726.”
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also issued a warning about the dangers of smishing scams, which often impersonate banks, government offices, and other trusted entities. The FCC advises consumers to protect themselves by avoiding responses to unsolicited texts or calls, deleting suspicious messages immediately, updating their smartphone’s operating system, and installing anti-malware software if necessary.
Scams can be reported directly to the FCC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
