Be wary of emails attempting to steal personal information

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- During the holiday season the post office handles thousands of cards and packages being sent to friends and relatives all over the world. However if you receive a notice from the Postal Service, beware.

Customers being targeted will get a notice in their email with a likely subject line reading "USPS Delivery Failure Notification."

"Basically, it gives a date and says on such and such a date we attempted to deliver a package but were unable to deliver it. Please click on the link below to print up a delivery label and take it to your local post office to pick up the package," said U.S. Postal Inspector Mike Carroll.

The link in the email provides information on when to expect delivery, however when the customer clicks on it, a malicious virus is installed on the computer. The virus is able to log keystrokes and possibly obtain personal identification and account information.

"This is not the way the postal department will notify customers if they have a package," said Carroll.

Carroll warns not to click on the link at all, but to forward it to spam@uspis.gov, then delete the email.

"It will notify USPIS the email is circulating and we can deal with it and investigate it and it won't harm your computer," Carroll said.

Other tips for spotting the bogus email include poor grammar or spelling errors, text stating immediate action must be taken or the customer will face penalties, or the request for personal information under the guise of confirming information.