HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Viewers have been contacting ABC Action News after receiving suspicious text messages from numbers that claim to be the United States Postal Service.
The texts ask people to enter credit card numbers or other personal information to have packages delivered. The U.S.P.S. said the messages are scams.
“So this text message you received it actually says U.S. Post. Typically, if you're going to get something from the U.S. Postal Service, it'll say USPS. So that's red flag number one,” United States Postal Inspector Kristi Parkerson said.
Another red flag to look out for is the link or number the text is coming from. While it may look like a USPS tracking site, unless it says USPS.com, it is not real.
Parkerson said the USPS will never send you a text prompting you to enter any credit card or personal information. The only reason you would receive a text from USPS is if you signed up for tracking texts for a certain delivery.
Bryan Oglesby from the Better Business Bureau said the scammers' goal is to get personal or financial information out of you with these messages.
"They want you to click on a link to either steal your identity or they want you to go to a web page to submit payment information," Oglesby said.
If you receive a text- do not click on the link. Delete the text chain and report it to theBetter Business Bureau Scam tracker or to theUS Postal Service Inspections.
A Hardee County grandmother is on trial this week for leaving her 7-month-old granddaughter in a hot car where the baby died —the second grandchild to die under Tracey Nix's care. ABC Action News I-Team Reporter Kylie McGivern sat down with Kaila Nix just days ahead of her mother's trial for aggravated manslaughter.
