Saturday, February 15, 2025

Scammers Weekly: Package theft

(WYDaily/Courtesy of AARP)
(WYDaily/Courtesy of AARP)

WYDaily has collaborated with AARP to raise awareness about scams people need to watch out for.

A scam will be featured every Wednesday, so be sure to always check WYDaily.com and be in the know.

Here’s this week’s edition:

The holidays may be over, but porch pirate season never ends.

While at-home deliveries are at their highest over the holiday season, direct-to-home shopping happens every day around the country.

Here are some simple steps you can take to safeguard your orders:

  • Schedule deliveries for times when you are home.
  • Ask neighbors to pick up packages for you if you can’t be home.
  • Ask the shipper to put packages out of sight, like on a side porch or under a bush.
  • Use parcel lockers if they are available in your area.

Also, be aware of emails claiming a package is being held and the shipper needs more information. These can be phishing attacks meant to capture payment information or to get you to download malicious software.

Visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network by clicking here or call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 to report a scam or get help if you’ve fallen victim.

Keep up with Scammers weekly:

John Mangalonzo
John Mangalonzohttp://wydaily.com
John Mangalonzo (john@localdailymedia.com) is the managing editor of Local Voice Media’s Virginia papers – WYDaily (Williamsburg), Southside Daily (Virginia Beach) and HNNDaily (Hampton-Newport News). Before coming to Local Voice, John was the senior content editor of The Bellingham Herald, a McClatchy newspaper in Washington state. Previously, he served as city editor/content strategist for USA Today Network newsrooms in St. George and Cedar City, Utah. John started his professional journalism career shortly after graduating from Lyceum of The Philippines University in 1990. As a rookie reporter for a national newspaper in Manila that year, John was assigned to cover four of the most dangerous cities in Metro Manila. Later that year, John was transferred to cover the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines. He spent the latter part of 1990 to early 1992 embedded with troopers in the southern Philippines as they fought with communist rebels and Muslim extremists. His U.S. journalism career includes reporting and editing stints for newspapers and other media outlets in New York City, California, Texas, Iowa, Utah, Colorado and Washington state.

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