Scammers will even use something negative to ply their trade. With the South African Post Office strike going on for 3 months, companies that usually made use of the Post Office are resorting to using couriers to do deliveries. Scammers have made use of this and are flooding e-mail boxes (and sending scam SMSs) with messages from “courier companies” – like Fed-Ex and DHL – about parcels that need to be delivered. These mails trick you into filling in personal details on a website to obtain the tracking code, or to download an attachment containing details of the shipment etc. Some might even address you personally.
In all cases these are phishing and spear-phishing attacks, no links or attached files should ever be clicked on or opened up as they might contain malware, compromise your security and personal details. In one particular case I received a mail from FedEx ( I was expecting a parcel) that was addressed to me personally, and only my naturally suspicious nature protected my computer from being infected with a particularly nasty Trojan virus. I was lucky this time but it only takes a click, opening up a infected attachment to ruin your day!
Please be very careful when receiving mail from couriers, especially if you are expecting deliveries. In most cases companies will contact you directly on your phone number or the original sending company will send you a tracking number to trace the progress of the parcel.
