BBB Warns Idahoans To Look Out for Dangerous New Text and Email Scams

When you were in high school, did your economics class fall during first period during the final semester of your senior year? You were physically present, but you were mentally checked out. Your senioritis was real. 

You were young, a bit naïve and were thinking “I’m never going to use this.” But now that the word “tariff” is making headlines daily? YOU wish that you had paid more attention back then. Scammers are glad you didn’t. 

READ MORE: FBI Issues Warning About Toll Scams, What Idaho Needs to Know

More and more Idahoans are being targeted by scams feed on confusion over tariffs and how they affect their spending. The Better Business Bureau has told many media outlets that they’re seeing two timely phishing scams related to tariffs circulating.

Fake Government Agency Emails Demanding Immediate Payments

Both Forbes and Lifehacker reveal that scammers are registering malicious domains designed to look like official government websites, often using the buzz words “US Customs and Tariffs.” Scammers are including those links in a phishing campaign sent to unsuspecting Americans, where the scammers pose as official government entities, claiming that you owe a tariff on something you recently purchased and you need to make that payment immediately to avoid further penalties. 

Social media has been filled with headlines about fast-fashion companies like Temu and tech-companies like Microsoft raising prices, so the scammers are hoping that something in your shopping history would make you feel like this request is legitimate. 

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That’s where remembering what you learned about tariffs in econ would’ve been helpful. CNET explains that a tariff is a tax on the cost of importing or exporting goods by different countries. The tariffs directly impact the company importing the goods. They’re the ones responsible for paying government tariffs, not the individual consumer. 

They can pass on covering those tariffs to you by raising the cost of their products, but you’ll never have to pay the government a tariff as an individual consumer. 

It’s best to NEVER click links in suspicious emails like this, but if you do, Lifehacker reminds you that official government websites have a .gov web address. Any other extension should be a red flag. 

Fake Shipping Emails and Text Messages

Phishing and smishing scams associated with package delivery aren’t new. It wasn’t all that long ago that I shared a screenshot of one that I received claiming to be the United States Postal Service. In most of these scams, the hacker acts as a carrier, claiming that your package cannot be delivered due to some sort of incomplete information and includes a malicious link for you to “confirm” your information. 

These scams have now evolved into trying to trick Idaho shoppers into believing that their packages are being held because you owe an additional tariff fee. 

Again, the red flag here is that YOU are not responsible for paying tariff fees directly. If you’re concerned about the location of something ordered you should contact the carrier directly.

If you receive a text or email resembling either of these scams, it's best to delete them so you don't accidentally open the malicious link while handling your phone or shoving it in a purse or pocket.