In June 2021, and likely long before, an unsolicited U.S. Postal Service (USPS) email scam promised vouchers and rewards to 200 lucky winners every Tuesday. However, this was not a real giveaway or contest, and the postal service had no part in it.
The Email
The email subject line for the scam varied, but sometimes appeared oddly as: "C0NFIRM___..85080440243!-----------------------------**." It arrived in inboxes not from usps.com, but rather "naratab.com."
The U.S. Postal Service scam email, which was entirely a graphic instead of text that could be highlighted, was very poorly written and contained multiple errors.
USPS.com
Congratulations, dear USPS.COM customer!
Every Tuesday We select 200 lucky USPS.COM users randomly to receive a voucher from our sponsors.
USPS.com voucher can only be used to purchase eligible goods and services on USPS.COM and certain related sites as provided in the USPS.COM reward Terms and Conditions. To use a reward for an USPS website in another country, please visit: USPS.COM
Receive your Reward
Delivered by ACI .LC. an USPS company.
reward are subject to Terms and ConditionsHave a great day!
Sincerely,
USPS Team801 US Highway 1
North Palm Beach, FL 33408
The physical mailing address in the email may have been used in other scam emails in the past.
The Scam
Clicking the link in the postal service scam email (which we don't recommend) led not to usps.com, but to theguywithpower.com. On the website, it said: "United States Mail Survey." It also claimed: "Over $4,000,000 in offers given out so far!"
The page read:
Congratulations!
Complete this short 30-second survey about your shipping experience to select one of our exclusive reward offers (minimum value $90).
This offer is available for today only: June 30, 2021.
The "today only" date appeared to change to today's date every day, in order to create a fake sense of urgency for the scam offer.
After filling out a pointless survey, which was designed to make readers think their input would matter, offers were shown for various products. Prices were slashed and showed that the items would be free at "$0."
Such products included a Dyson V7 Motorhead cordless vacuum, Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies, Fitness Tracker, Hi-Tech Wireless Ear Pods, iPad Pro, Keto Advanced Weight Loss, Full-leaf CBD Hemp Oil Stress Formula, Pro Tactical LED Flashlight, Male Enhancement Formula, Skin Revitalizer, and a Dash-Cam X300.
However, these links led to more scams involving surveys and sweepstakes offers that requested personal information.
We recommend steering clear of any purported U.S. Postal Service emails that mention contests or giveaways and promise vouchers and rewards. Visit the United States Postal Inspection Service website for more details.