While this is a scam that you can fall for year-round, it can be more effective this time of year when more people are shopping. A fake shipping notification is exactly what it sounds like: A notification sent via text or email with information about a delivery that isn’t real. It’s likely you’ve received these kinds of messages before; the AARP says they accounted for more than one in four spam texts in 2021. The BBB says this kind of scam is “particularly prevalent” during the holiday season. The AARP explains that scammers are hoping you’ve done most of your Christmas shopping online and can’t keep track of all of your purchases, or that you’ll just assume the package is a gift from someone close to you. This scam often looks like an email or text message from a legitimate package carrier, like the United States Postal Service (USPS), FedEx or UPS. The message may have what it claims is a tracking link, it might tell you that you need to confirm your order before it will be delivered or it could tell you that you need to reschedule your delivery because an unsuccessful delivery attempt was made. If the message has a link, it’s likely a phishing link that wants you to enter your personal and financial information, or it has malware that the scammer can use to extract that information on their own. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/verify/holiday-shopping-scam-alert-how-to-avoid-fake-shipping-notifications/67-9be7eb21-8a72-4566-a462-65a92dfd2e71 ►Subscribe: https://on.wtsp.com/youtube ►Website: https://www.wtsp.com/ ►Facebook: https://facebook.com/10TampaBay ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/10TampaBay