Do not trust fake USPS "Your Package Is Waiting For Delivery" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "USPS - Your Package Is Waiting For Delivery"?
After examining the "USPS - Your Package Is Waiting For Delivery" email, we determined that it is fake. This spam letter claims that the recipient has outstanding delivery fees and redirects them to a fraudulent USPS website. This phishing site records provided information.
It must be stressed that this mail is in no way associated with the actual USPS (United States Postal Service), nor are any of its claims true.
"USPS - Your Package Is Waiting For Delivery" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "USPS notice your consignment is pending" (may vary) is presented as a notification from the United States Postal Service (USPS). It notifies the recipient that they have a pending delivery; the package will be shipped after the 1.99 USD fee is paid. The payment must be made within two days.
As mentioned in the introduction, all the information provided by this fake letter is false, and this mail is not associated with the real USPS.
After we pressed the "Send my package" button, we were redirected to a fake USPS site. This phishing webpage requires visitors to provide their personally-identifiable and finance-related data. Scammers can variously misuse disclosed information.
It is pertinent to mention that scams like "USPS - Your Package Is Waiting For Delivery" may also trick victims into making monetary transactions, such as paying fake fees.
To summarize, by trusting an email like "USPS - Your Package Is Waiting For Delivery" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you have already provided your private data (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities.
| Name | "USPS - Your Package Is Waiting For Delivery" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient must pay a fee for package delivery. |
| Disguise | USPS |
| Related Domains | wxcv[.]live |
| Detection Names (wxcv[.]live) | Webroot (Malicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (wxcv[.]live) | 172.67.155.122 |
| Symptoms | Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of the computer. |
| Distribution methods | Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains. |
| Damage | Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Phishing spam campaign examples
We have investigated thousands of spam emails; "Request To Deactivate Your Email", "Queued Messages Notification", "Security Risk For Your Email", and "Important Security Notice" are merely a few examples of ones used for phishing.
Information-targeting spam primarily seeks account log-in credentials (usernames/passwords), personally identifiable details (names, ages, occupations, addresses, etc.), and finance-related data (banking account details, credit card numbers, etc.).
Other scams are promoted through spam as well, e.g., sextortion, lottery, inheritance, callback, tech support, and so on. Deceptive emails are also used to proliferate malware.
Due to how widespread and potentially well-crafted spam mail can be – we strongly advise exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam campaigns spread malware by distributing infectious files. They can be attached to or linked inside the emails (i.e., links leading to malicious sites that stealthily download/install malware or trick users into doing it themselves). Malicious files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.
These files trigger malware download/installation chains once opened. However, some formats need users to take additional actions in order to jumpstart system infection processes. To elaborate, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click embedded files/links.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We highly recommend being careful with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links found in dubious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent. It is important to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.
Since malware is not distributed exclusively via spam mail, we also advise downloading only from official and verified channels. Another recommendation is to always activate and update programs using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.
Additionally, it is essential to be vigilant when browsing since fake and malicious online content usually appears genuine and harmless.
We must emphasize the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove threats. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "USPS - Your Package Is Waiting For Delivery" spam email letter:
Subject: USPS notice your consignment is pending
USPS.com
Dear Customer,
Your package is waiting for delivery. Confirm payment of 1.99 USD in the following link, verification must be done online in the next 2 days before it expires
Fees to pay : 1,99 USD.
Date : 27/08/2023.
Send my package
2023 Need help ? contact us at service-mail@usps.us
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "USPS - Your Package Is Waiting For Delivery" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "USPS - Your Package Is Waiting For Delivery" phishing email?
- Types of malicious emails.
- How to spot a malicious email?
- What to do if you fell for an email scam?
Types of malicious emails:
Phishing Emails
Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.
Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.
After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.
Emails with Malicious Attachments
Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.
In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.
If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.
While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.
Sextortion Emails
This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.
To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.
How to spot a malicious email?
While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:
- Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
- Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
- Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
- Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.
To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
Example of a spam email:
What to do if you fell for an email scam?
- If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
- If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
- If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
- If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
- Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why did I receive this email?
Cyber criminals spread spam mail by the thousand with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams. These emails/messages are not personal, despite any relevant details they may include.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if you've provided other private information (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, opening/reading an email will not jumpstart any malware download/installation processes. Devices are infected when infectious files or malicious links are opened.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – your system was infected. However, you might have avoided an infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats may need additional interaction to trigger malware download/installation chains (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.).
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan devices and remove threats. It can eliminate nearly all known infections. Keep in mind that running a full system scan is paramount since high-end malicious software typically hides deep within systems.
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