Beware of holiday shipping email scams

I received an email from UPS about a delivery problem with a package. It asked me to download a label. Is this some sort of scam?

Unfortunately, yes. You should delete the email without opening it and do not download the attached file.

This time of year, fake package delivery emails are more prevalent than at any other time of the year. The subject lines of these bogus emails usually say something like "UPS package delivery problem, UPS 34898239-a." The senders also use DHL, FedEx and the USPS with the same message.

These scammers count on the fact that although normally only a small percentage of the recipients of the emails may be expecting packages, around the holidays with so many purchases and gifts ordered from the Internet, many people who usually do not receive packages may assume that the delivery problem notice is for a gift. They unsuspectingly open the emails and the attachments.

Alarming messages that require immediate action such as "Your account will be suspended," "Your parcel or prize will be returned" or any other tactic which compels you to open a fraudulent email or attachment is from a scammer, not a shipper. The emails can contain a Trojan horse that can invade your computer system and steal personal information including credit card and social security numbers or account passwords.

An unusual request in an email that may alert you to criminal intentions is a request for financial information, funds or personal information in exchange for the delivery of a package. According to FedEx, "FedEx does not request, via unsolicited mail or e-mail, payment or personal information in return for goods in transit or in FedEx custody."

The problem is so pervasive that major shippers address it on their websites.

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