Email fraud: How criminals are now targeting online shoppers

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Hardly a week goes by without reports of new scams. This time, it is mainly customers of various online shops who are affected, as emails have been circulating for days in which the parcel service provider GLS allegedly asks for payment of a “standard processing fee” so that the shipment can be delivered.

The subject line of the email contains messages such as “Your GLS shipment is almost here!” or “Your delivery is on the last leg.” The goal of the phishing attack is to obtain credit card information.

2.99 euros pose a significant risk of fraud

Recipients receive an email claiming that a package is about to be delivered and will be finally delivered after payment of a fee of 2.99 euros. For supposed “organizational reasons,” payment can only be made by credit card. Anyone who clicks on a link in the email is taken to a fake website that looks deceptively similar to that of GLS.

According to “Watchlist Internet,” anyone who enters their card details there and pays the supposedly small amount runs the risk of criminals repeatedly charging the card. In this way, the damage incurred can quickly add up.

Systematic online fraud: Why many victims have no idea

The scam is insidious: In many cases, online shoppers do not know which parcel service is used to ship their goods. The perpetrators take advantage of this ignorance on the part of the victims.

The advice from experts in these and other cases: pay attention to the sender’s email address—it often has no reference to the alleged company, in this case, GLS. If in doubt, the shipment number provided can be checked on the GLS website; in most cases, the number does not exist. It may also be helpful to check with the online shop that you suspect is the sender.

It is also worth comparing the email with the official design—logos, language, and colors are often clearly imitated. If the email turns out to be fake, recipients should avoid clicking on links, block the sender, and delete the message. Anyone who has already entered and submitted credit card details should contact their bank immediately—in most cases, it will be necessary to block the card.

GLS itself points out on its homepage that it never asks for payment of any amount by email. Cash-on-delivery parcels are only received by recipients against cash payment directly to the delivery person. The company is not liable for damages, it continues, and asks that any attempted fraud be reported by email: security@gls-group.com

GLS warns: Fraud is also possible via text message or Messenger

GLS also recommends reporting the incident to the police and points out that false messages could also be sent via text message, messenger services, or social media. These can often be recognized by spelling or grammatical errors.

GLS is only part of a larger wave—Austrian Post was also recently affected by fake “yellow slips.”