During the holidays, hackers often take advantage of shoppers’ desires to find the perfect bargain.
The CyberSafe at USPS team reminds employees to be extra cautious and pay attention to deals that seem too good to be true.
Watch out for phishing emails that try to lure buyers by promoting a deal that requires the buyer to click a link or provide information to receive a discount.
Common holiday scams include shopping advertisements, shipment notifications, electronic gift cards or giveaways, and charity donations.
If you receive any of these types of emails, keep the following tips in mind:
- Check the sender. Be wary of emails from senders you don’t know.
- Don’t provide personal information. Don’t respond to requests for personal information, such as credit card or account numbers.
- Think before you click. Don’t click on suspicious looking links.
- Check the presentation. Check for consistent formatting, as well as typos or grammatical mistakes.
Successful phishing attempts allow hackers to infiltrate USPS networks and access sensitive information.
If you suspect that an email may be a phishing attempt, report it immediately to the CyberSecurity Operations Center at CyberSafe@usps.gov and delete the email from your inbox.
The CyberSafe at USPS Blue site has additional information.