Crime & Safety

Virus Alert: Do Not Open Bogus Post Office Emails

If you receive an email about a package delivery or online postage charges, do not open it. It appears to be from the post office, but it is a scam than can infect your computer.

The and St. Louis area law enforcement authorities are warning residents about an email scam making the rounds. The experts' simple advice: delete. 

The post office sent out the alert in an email stating that some postal customers are receiving bogus e-mails about a package delivery or online postage charges. Customers should not open the email. It contains a link or attachment that will install a virus on your computer once opened. The virus can steal your personal information.

This warning applies to anyone who receives the email, not just local residents.

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For more details on the scam, read the following email alert posted by the U.S. Postal Service.

Some postal customers are receiving bogus e-mails about a package delivery or online postage charges. The e-mails contain a link or attachment that, when opened, installs a malicious virus that can steal personal information from your PC.

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The e-mails claim to be from the U.S. Postal Service and contain fraudulent information about an attempted or intercepted package delivery or online postage charges.

You are instructed to click on a link or open an attachment. 

But Postal Inspectors warn: Do not click on the link or open the attachment! Like most viruses sent by e-mail, clicking on the link or opening the attachment will activate a virus that can steal information—such as your user name, password, and financial account information.  

What to do? Simply delete the message without taking any further action.

The Postal Inspection Service is working hard to resolve the issue and shut down the malicious program. If you have questions about a delivery or wish to report spam, please call 1-800-ASK-USPS or email spam@uspis.gov.


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