Windom Assistant Police Chief Cory Hillesheim has informed the Citizen of what he calls “a nasty new scam” that has hit the area hard in recent days.
According to Hillesheim, the scam works like this: A resident will receive an e-mail that looks extremely official with the Amazon.com logo and a very professional looking heading showing “Your Orders,” “Your Accounts,” a shipping order confirmation number and more.
“The document looks extremely official, just like it came from Amazon,” Hillesheim warned.
The “From” line says, “Order,” followed by an e-mail address. In the “Subject” line, it says something like: “Your order #378-0811866-1102643 of 1 item has been dispatched.”
Then it says, “Dear (your e-mail address placed here),
“Your order has shipped. Tip signature required upon delivery. If you haven’t authorized this payment call fraud prevention support. Toll free (833-836-0942.”
Hillesheim’s advice is simple. If you receive this e-mail, do not respond or call the fraud number listed on the e-mail. The purpose of the scam is to gain your personal information.
If you have been the target of a scam, your first contact should be the local authorities. Also, feel free to contact us with details (we can keep your name confidential, if you wish).
Send your story to: rahnl@windomnews.com, or call 507-831-3455. Stories will appear in an upcoming edition and in our Thursday noon website report (or immediately online). By sharing your story, you may prevent others from being scammed.
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