Delivery scams on the rise amid Canada Post strike, holiday shopping season

Delivery scams on the rise

Photo: The Canadian Press

Canadians are facing a fresh wave of scams as fraudsters seize on the Canada Post strike to try to trick victims out of their cash. Canada Post signage is seen during a national strike action in Ottawa, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Canadians are facing a fresh wave of scams as fraudsters seize on the Canada Post strike to try to trick victims out of their cash.

Equifax Canada information security head Octavia Howell says the last few weeks have seen a big rise in the number of scam attempts, which range from phishing emails to deepfake phone calls.

Howell says scams related to parcels and deliveries typically tick up around the holidays, but that the work stoppage at Canada Post has led to more fraud attempts amid the confusion around shipments.

Mail carriers walked off the job on Nov. 15, halting deliveries of letters and packages at the start of the holiday shipping season.

Canada Post cautions users that it never reaches out about a delivery via text or email unless it has been requested to.

The Crown corporation asks Canadians to be on guard for telltale signs of a phishing scam or fraud attempt, including poor grammar, imagery inconsistent with Canada Post logos and a tracking number at odds with its standard format.