Police warn of scams, porch pirates as cyber monday sales soar
SALISBURY, Md – Police are sounding the alarm on scales that look to prey on online shoppers and those shipping their packages during Cyber Monday.
Worcester County Sheriff Matt Crisafulli says the latest scam takes the form of text messages that prompt customers to confirm their orders or mailing addresses.
Sheriff Crisafulli says to be weary of any text message that claims to be from UPS or FedEx; adding, that information about personal addresses or payment info belongs in one place only – the official shipping website for the respective carriers.
“When you click that link, what you’re essentially doing is you’re opening up your shelves to get malware on your computers or on your cell, your device, and they can track your information and steal your information that way,” Sheriff Crisafulli said.
When packages are delivered to the home, Sheriff Crisafulli says the parcels are still at risk of porch pirates. He recommends schedule deliveries to arrive when you or someone is home, rely on a neighbor, or ask for a signature required for delivery to prevent a package from sitting out unattended.
Abd, this year there could be more of those packages than ever before. Vernon Powell tells 47 ABC WMDT they sold 2,700 items on Black Friday alone, between their Salisbury and Rehoboth locations Many of those sales are being shipped to homes across Delmarva.
“We beat last year in both Salisbury and Rehoboth, very pleased with the results, and seems to be going strong right here, right through Cyber Monday,’ said Vernon Powell President Joe Wright.
Wright says sales have been strong, though due to carrying certain brands they were unable to have their indoor prices available for e-commerce.
“We carry so many brands and the rules are extremely complicated on what we can or can’t have online, the manufacturers they want to drive traffic to their own site so in a sense we compete with them,” Wright said, adding that while his store was more focused in walk-in customers, they are committed to offering the same level of protection for customers against theft.
“If somebody orders from us online and we ship to their house, and they don’t receive the package, they just call the store and we’ll send in another item, we file a claim with UPS, and we only get our cost back, but it’s not the end of the world,” Wright said.
Sherriff Crisafuli says that while filing for a refund is important, any victims should also file a police report to make sure police understand the level of crime happening, and prevent future thefts.
