GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — The Grand Junction Police Department has issued a public alert regarding a recent spike in fraudulent text messages impersonating UPS. These scams aim to deceive recipients into clicking malicious links or sharing personal and financial information by posing as delivery updates, alerts about suspicious activity, or claims of delivery errors.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, text message scams, particularly those involving fake package delivery notifications, resulted in an estimated $470 million in consumer losses in 2024. Common tactics include requests to confirm delivery details, notifications of delivery failures, demands for unexpected fees, and warnings of unusual account activity.
The police advise residents to be wary of messages from unknown numbers, those creating a sense of urgency, or containing spelling and grammatical errors. Other red flags include requests for payment, unfamiliar links, or tracking numbers that do not match official UPS records. Authorities recommend deleting suspicious messages and verifying shipment details directly through the official UPS website (www.ups.com) or by contacting UPS.
Victims of financial scams are urged to report incidents to their banking institutions immediately and file complaints with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov) or the FTC (ftc.gov). The Grand Junction Police Department emphasizes the importance of community awareness and encourages sharing this information to prevent further victimization.