You probably already know that you need to worry about thieves stealing packages from your porch, but now you need to be aware of thieves who leave packages there. This is the startling step of a scam that you may not have heard of.
You open your front door and — surprise! There is a package that looks like it was delivered by FedEx or UPS. Your name is also on the label. Inside is a new phone. The only problem? You never ordered one.
It looks like you just got a free phone, but you’re about to get scammed. This is the first stage of a classic high-tech identity theft scheme, the modern Trojan horse. It happened in New York earlier this year, and in Canada and England a few years ago.
The “free phone” scam doesn’t seem to happen very often — it involves a lot of effort on the scammer’s part. But since it starts in the real world and not via email, it can be more unpredictable than a typical scam and therefore easier to detect.
Although it can happen in a few different ways, there is usually some combination of a seemingly free fence, a front porch and an actual burglar that sometimes shows up at your door. We break down the three ways this “freephone” scam works, offer tips to help you avoid falling for it and explain what steps you should take if you do.
How the ‘free’ phone scam works
The free phone scam is made up of three slightly different variants.
The ‘free phone on the balcony’ scam
A free phone arrives at your door, and you realize it’s your lucky day. You turn on the phone and enter your personal information. Then it locks up, freezes to black. Now you are a useless phone alert, and another scammer has your personal information.
The ‘We sent you a phone by mistake and you need it’ scam
Sometimes the phone that appears on your porch is the one you ordered. So it makes a lot of sense when you get a phone and your “carrier” tells you, hey, we sent you the wrong phone, and we’re going to send you a prepaid label so you can send it back to us. Don’t worry, we will send you another phone.
You’re a good person, so you comply by sending your phone or leaving it in a box at your door for the “delivery person” to pick up. Later you find out that you just gave your new phone to a stranger.
The ‘We meet on your balcony and give you a free phone right now’ scam
This has happened in states like California, and it is very sad. A criminal knocks on your door, pretending to be a Medicare representative, and the voice says: “Hey, you’re going to get this new phone, no strings attached. I just need to scan your insurance card into this phone. Okay, fine, thank you. Now, here’s your insurance card, and I’m going to my car with your phone and call this information to my management and come right back.”
Unfortunately, the “Medicare representative” returns to his car and drives off. You don’t have a new phone, and a stranger is quick with your health insurance information.
Tips for preventing scams
Scams are getting more and more sophisticated, but it’s normal to think you’ll never fall for one. But scams are everywhere these days. If you don’t want to fall victim to a “free phone” scam or other, more common schemes, you’ll want to do the following.
Do not open unexpected packages
Ideally, if you get something in the mail that you’re sure you didn’t order, just don’t touch it. But we all know we will. What if it’s a gift or something we ordered and forgot? So, yes, it is possible that the average person will open it. If it’s something like a phone and something is portable, “don’t include the content,” says Patrick Coughlin, CEO and founder of Savi Security, a Los Angeles cybersecurity firm.
“Engagement means plugging it in, turning it on, scanning a QR code or inserting a SIM card,” Coughlin said. “Any of those could give a scammer access to your accounts, your identity, or your phone number.”
He adds: “We’ve seen cheap phones pre-loaded with malware, SIM cards designed to target fraud in your name and QR codes that drop phishing pages on your device when you scan them. So stop that.”
But don’t leave a surprise package on your porch
Angelo Kevin Brown, an assistant professor of criminology at Arkansas State University, says that sometimes criminals “will send a new iPhone to someone’s house and try to get the package before someone does.”
If they did, they may have bought it with your money, Brown adds.
Therefore, if it is an expensive property, it is important that you look at the credit accounts of those who live at home to make sure that nothing has been opened by them,” said Brown.
And you are not doing anything wrong by taking the package sent to you. “Legally, under federal law, like the FTC, if a package is accidentally sent to you, you can keep it, throw it away or throw it away,” Brown said.
(It’s another matter if something is delivered to your home by mistake, and it’s addressed to someone else. In that case, keeping it is considered stealing mail.)
When contacting your carrier, always look up their phone number directly on their website. Do not call the number included in e-mail or unexpected delivery packages.
Contact your phone carrier directly
So you got a free phone? Do you suspect but wonder if it could be true? Call and ask. But make sure you use the official customer service number on your monthly statement. If a phone number is included in this “free” phone, it’s probably a scam number.
Reject ‘return’ downloads
If someone comes to your door saying there was a shipping error, or they want you to pay for shipping on a package they delivered, again, don’t get involved. (Tell them you will call the police if necessary.)
“The more you interact with someone trying to get or deliver a package, the more information they can get from you that can be used against you,” Brown said. “In general, the advice is to never give a package or information to a stranger. If it’s an official USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc. package, they’re the ones coming to you, not a stranger, and not in a personal vehicle.”
Check your accounts regularly
Check, save, retire. We should all check those accounts anyway, for example, to make sure we’re not overspending. But if you don’t check your accounts regularly, you may not even know when you are being hacked.
Never answer a call that is identified as suspected spam.
Enable spam/scam filtering
Your mobile phone should allow you to filter out spam as well as potential scam calls. Your landline probably can (try *77, which works on most landlines; it will block calls that block your caller ID on purpose).
Explore anti-phishing tools
Antivirus software will not help you with these free phone scams. But if your desktop or laptop or devices are not protected from malware and computer viruses, it is only a matter of time before something infects your hardware.
Look for identity protection services
You’ve probably heard of some of the big names out there — LifeLock, Aura, IdentityForce. Identity theft protection services monitor your personal information, and if they see a suspicious charge or detect fraudulent activity on your accounts, they will notify you. They also offer other services, such as insurance, to cover the costs you incur, such as restoring a stolen identity.
Look at credit monitoring
Credit monitoring services track your reports from the major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — and if there are any suspicious changes, like a new account opening in your name, you’ll be notified. Often, alerts will tell you what you already know, such as whether you took out a car loan in your name. But if a stranger does that, you will find out quickly.
Some antivirus software, such as Malwarebytes, include services such as identity theft protection and dark web data tracking.
Consider dark web monitoring
These services track and retrieve personal information that is sold on the dark web (it sounds made up, like a villain in a Batman movie, but it’s a term that describes the real hidden part of the Internet where criminals often access stolen information). If your personal information is being sold on the dark web, these services can alert you.
And, yes, many identity theft protection services offer dark web monitoring — and credit monitoring — so you have one service that protects your personal information rather than multiple services.
Consider data removal services
Data brokers sell our personal information to almost everyone. Data removal services are companies that work to prevent data brokers from selling your information, making it less likely that you will become a target.
Stay alert against emerging scams
Law enforcement and legitimate businesses will never ask for your Social Security number or passwords over the phone to correct a transmission error. Always. Trust your gut.
People versus software
Antivirus software and identity theft protection services can protect you from many, but not all, scams. We the people still have to pick up the slack. This table shows where antivirus software and identity protection services can help and where you can protect yourself.
Antivirus, ID theft protection and human action, compared
| Antivirus | Protection of identity | People | |
| It blocks malicious links and phishing sites | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| Detects and blocks malware on a device once installed | ✓ | – | – |
| Notifies you of new accounts opened in your name | – | ✓ | – |
| It monitors the credit and exposure of dark web data 24/7 | – | ✓ | – |
| He can refuse to give a package to a stranger at the door | – | – | ✓ |
| It can detect urgency and pressure tactics on the phone | – | – | ✓ |
| He can decide not to connect or not to unlock the unknown device | – | – | ✓ |
| It can verify the carrier’s caller by hanging up and finding the carrier’s number itself and calling the real company. | – | – | ✓ |
Important steps to take if you are targeted by a scam
If you’re the victim of a “package on the porch” scam, or any scam that involves your money or identity theft, you’ll want to take a few steps right away:
- Contact law enforcement: Even if you think you will never get justice, the police can help. They can at least warn the public to be aware of these types of scams.
- Enter a fraud alert: Fraud alerts mean that the credit bureaus must check with you before opening an account in your name. Contact the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) to place an alert on your credit report.
- Change carrier authentication: If you think someone has access to your phone, update your PIN and password with your mobile service provider immediately.
- Gather evidence from the authorities: If you have home security camera footage, you may have footage of a package delivery scam. The police will appreciate that.