'Your online order will be cancelled if you don't update address': Latest India Post delivery scam here, how it works, how to avoid

Be it groceries or day-to-day household items or clothes or shoes - most of us have become used to ordering everything online. While e-commerce giants such as Amazon, Flipkart, or Swiggy have their delivery fleets, most businesses still depend on courier services such as India Post or Delhivery or DTDC or BlueDart to deliver their online orders.

As we order multiple items online throughout the day, it becomes impossible to keep track of every item and the timeframe of when they are getting delivered. We often rely on the company from which we have ordered to keep us informed about the delivery timeline. Using this, fraudsters have come up with another way to dupe people of their hard-earned money.

If you regularly order items online, you should know about the latest India Post delivery scam. How does it work? How can you protect yourself? Read here to find out.

India Post delivery scam: What is it? How scamsters use it to dupe people

First, you get an SMS that looks like a genuine order delivery message from the India Post. The SMS says that a parcel has arrived at the India Post warehouse but cannot be delivered due to incomplete address information, so you need to update your address using the provided web link inside the SMS within 12 hours. Often it follows a phone call from an unknown number pretending to be an official of the India Post.

Imagine you have ordered a blender, a phone cover, an earphone, and a formal wear shirt from AME.com and the promised delivery dates are different for all the orders.

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Now, when you are in the office amid a hectic day, you get a call from a person, claiming the official of the nearest India Post office that he can't find your address as it is incomplete, and you need to update it immediately on the India Post website. For your convenience, India Post has already sent an SMS to your mobile with a link that you can use to update your address. If you don't click on this link and update your full address, then all your orders will be cancelled. As you have given an incomplete address, all your orders from AME.com will be cancelled.

So, fearing the cancellation of all the orders you may click on the link and update your full address. Once you update the address, the link will take you to the next page where you have to pay a token amount of Rs 80 or Rs 100 for redelivery. You can see there are options to enter details of your debit card or credit card. Often there is no other payment option available such as UPI.

As the amount they are asking is small, you may end up filling in the details of your debit card or credit card and paying it to avoid the hassle of a cancelled delivery and ordering it again. Don't fall for it as it may be a trap. You may end up giving important details of your debit card or credit card - name, car number, CVV to the fraudsters.

As per India Post's X response to a user's query about this scam, "Be Alert! Be Safe. India Post doesn't send such messages asking for updated addresses for delivering articles. Don't Click on Fraudulent links."

Source: X (reply by India Post to a user's query)

Here are ways to prevent India Post parcel scam

As per Sheetal R Bhardwaj, executive member of Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS), "They often create a sense of urgency or fear, making people believe that immediate action is required," she says.

Bhardwaj states that scams similar to this have been occurring in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Nigeria, South Africa, and many others. "Scammers often target individuals globally, taking advantage of the widespread use of online platforms and communication channels," she says.

Don't click on any such links and update your payment details. A website such as India Post should give you all kinds of payment options such as payments by debit card, credit card, UPI, and cash on delivery. If it is only asking for your debit or credit card details without mentioning why they can't offer other payment options on the website, you must verify the authenticity of it before updating your card details.

According to Pradeep Janardanan, Director - FCC Advisory and Investigations at a private bank, here's what you should do to prevent getting scammed:

1. Be skeptical of unsolicited messages or emails: If you receive a message or email from an unknown sender regarding parcels or unexpected offers, be cautious. Verify the information independently before taking any action. For example, you can always open the e-commerce website's app to verify if the product is out for delivery and the contact information of the delivery person.
2. Check the sender's email address or website domain: Scammers often use email addresses or website domains that may resemble legitimate ones but have slight variations. Pay attention to any inconsistencies or misspellings. For example, India Post's website is https://www.indiapost.gov.in
3. Avoid clicking on suspicious links: If you are using a desktop then hover your mouse cursor over any links in emails or messages to see the actual URL. If it looks suspicious or unfamiliar, do not click on it. Instead, visit the official website directly through a trusted search engine.
4. Verify requests through trusted channels: If you receive a request for personal information or payment, independently verify it through trusted channels. Contact the official customer support of the company or organisation using their official contact information. For example: you can call customer service of the e-commerce company India Post or other courier companies to verify the authenticity of the narrative told by the fraudsters.

"Do not fall for the rush trap - take your time to validate the authenticity of such calls. Don't click suspicious Links you received via unexpected emails or messages. Don't fall for unrealistic promises, does the "package" sound too good to be true? It probably is. Be skeptical. Don't rush to pay money upfront, legitimate deliveries don't require upfront payment unless otherwise prescribed. If you're asked to pay to receive something, it's a scam," says Amit Relan, Co-Founder and CEO, mFilterIt, a fraud detection company.