Real store order email with a scammer's 'helpline'
Real order emails from companies such as Staples and Dell have been arriving with a scammer's phone number typed into the shipping fields. The messages can pass normal email checks, so never call a number from an order email. Look the company up yourself.
How it works
You get what appears to be a normal order or shipping email from a real retailer. Hidden in the shipping or custom fields is a phone number for a fake 'helpline.' Cisco Talos tracked about 1,400 of these messages. Because the email comes from the real company, it can pass authentication checks and look completely routine. If you call the number, scammers try to take payment or account access. Always find the retailer's support number on the official site or on your receipt, not in the body of the email.
Red flags
- An order or shipping email includes a phone number and tells you to call for help.
- The number is not one you already associate with that store.
- The message otherwise looks real, including the company's usual branding.
- Someone on the 'helpline' asks for payment, remote access, or login details.
What to do
- Do not call a phone number that appears inside an order or shipping email.
- If you need help with an order, use the official app or the support number on the company's website.
- Review the order in your account to confirm it is really yours.
- Report the scam at reportfraud.ftc.gov and, if you called or paid, also at ic3.gov.
Where to report it
- reportfraud.ftc.gov — the FTC's report form.
- ic3.gov — the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.