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Holiday Shipping Alert from the BBB


Chicago, IL–(ENEWSPF)– This is the height of the holiday shopping season and the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois is warning consumers to be alert to scam emails that appear to come from shippers including FedEx, UPS and Wal-Mart.

Many people became victims of a similar hoax that appeared this past summer. The current email informs the recipient that the package they shipped was undeliverable because of a wrong address. They are instructed to open and print out the attached invoice. The attachment contains a computer virus.

"We are advising consumers to be extra cautious because with so many people sending and receiving gifts, via major shippers and retailers, the individuals who are perpetrating this scam know there will be a lot of people who will become victims," said Steve J. Bernas, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois.

Bernas says, "If you should receive one of these emails do not open the attachment, and delete it immediately."

Shippers and retailers may send official notification messages on occasion, but very rarely do they include attachments. If you receive a message that includes an attachment and you are in doubt about its authenticity contact that shipper’s or retailer’s customer service department.

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As a private, non-profit organization, the purpose of the Better Business Bureau is to promote an ethical marketplace. BBBs help resolve buyer/seller complaints by means of conciliation, mediation and arbitration. BBBs also review advertising claims, online business practices and charitable organizations. BBBs develop and issue reports on businesses and nonprofit organizations and encourage people to check out a company or charity before making a purchase or donation.


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