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Online Ordering Scams & Money Mule Scams 

Online Shopping & Fake Shipping Scams

When you order something online, you might get several emails or text messages about your order. The subject of the messages might be order confirmation, shipping notification with tracking information, notice that the order is out for delivery, and delivery confirmation.

Did you know that scammers send fake package shipments and deliver notifications to try to steal your personal information, not just at the holidays, but all year long? 

Here are some things you can do to protect yourself from these kinds of scammers: 

  • Check the seller’s website, if you think it could be about something you recently ordered, go to the site where you bought the item and look up the shipping and delivery status there. 

  • Contact the shipping company, if you think the message may be legitimate, contact the shipping company using a phone number or website you know is real. Don’t use the information in the message. 
  •  Avoid clicking any links, if you get a message about an unexpected package delivery that tells you to click on a link for any reason, don’t do it. Go directly to the shipping company’s website by entering it into your browser, and don’t use any links in the message.  
  •  As always, guard your personal data, no matter the time of year, it always pays to protect your personal information, like your name, address, social security number, username, password, pin, account numbers and other sensitive information.  

Money Mule Scams

If someone sends you money and asks you to send it to someone else, you may unknowingly be part of a scam where you serve as the so-called “money mule.” This means you are helping a scammer to make it impossible to trace money that they acquired illegally. 

Scammers disguise their malicious intent behind schemes that involve a request to transfer funds to other sources for payment. These schemes could be related to online dating, work-at-home jobs, or prize-winning.  Scammers send money to you, sometimes by check, then ask you to send some of it to someone else. They often ask you to use gift cards or wire transfers. Be extremely wary of requests like these. 

The result can be loss of your hard-earned funds, potential theft of your personal information and, if the money accepted was stolen, serious legal consequences. 

Learn More

The Federal Trade Commission website offers excellent guidance about protecting yourself from scams and what to do when you encounter potential scams.  

The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) has compiled robust lists of work-from-home security tips for institutions and individuals