A customer tells us they got what claimed to be a text from FedEx asking for more money to deliver some package, but it didn't say which package.
The customer emailed us asking about it thinking it might be the puzzles we were sending them. Luckily, we knew we hadn't shipped their order by FedEx, so the text had nothing to do with us.
But something about that text smelled bad - we warned them it might be a scam.
She called the main FedEx office, and sure enough, it was scam!
These scams tend to come in waves, so watch out this holiday season for fake shipping notices like that - it is very very unusual for UPS, USPS or FedEx to ask you to pay extra to get a package delivered, or text you for any info, so if they do, be suspicious!
Another older scam you hopefully already heard about is that people will call or leave voice messages or texts claiming they are from the IRS. Hilariously, the IRS actually did call me about a problem at 7pm one evening. The lady sounded very educated and midwestern, but I was suspicious because the IRS doesn't call you right? I was polite in case she was real, but I gave her a very hard time asking her to verify she was actually from the IRS, and despite giving me some random employee number and quoting some stuff about my business, she couldn't convince me she wasn't a scam!
But I was still worried it could be legit, so the next day and I asked our accountant to contact the IRS through usual channels to confirm- and whoa! It actually had been the IRS calling me at 7pm about an actual bill we needed to get paid.
Tips: Do be suspicious, contact their organization via an official phone number or email or website. And of course, never trust the possible-scammer to give you contact info to verify them.