Is FedEx getting rid of all unclaimed packages after New Year's Eve by sending Facebook users a shipping pallet of packages if they answer four questions? No, that's not true: Lead Stories received a statement from a FedEx representative who stated that the post "appears to be fradulent" and their brand is not associated with this post. The link in this Facebook post does not lead to a FedEx-owned website.
The claim appeared on Facebook (archived here) where it was published on January 4, 2024. It read:
FedEx is getting rid of all unclaimed packages after New Year's Eve
Receive a pallet of packages by answering four questions below
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Mon Jan 8 16:26:46 2024 UTC)
Lead Stories reached out to FedEx about the claim. According to a January 8, 2024, email to Lead Stories from Adam Snyder (archived here), a communications adviser for FedEx, the Facebook post is not associated with the brand:
We have no association with this post and it appears to be fraudulent. While there is no foolproof method to prevent the FedEx name from being used in a scam, we are constantly monitoring for such activity and work cooperatively with law enforcement. Customers can visit https://www.fedex.com/en-us/report-fraud.html for information on how to address suspected fraud involving FedEx.
The FedEx page linked in Snyder's response suggests looking out for misspelled website or email addresses (For example: fedx.com or fed-ex.com), requests for users' personal and financial information and a message that appears when you click a link telling the user that the connection isn't secure.
The page falsely advertising the pallets, Household Items Finds, was created on September 23, 2023.
When Facebook users clicked the link in the Household Items Finds post, it led to a webpage with the URL, "www.23zaaazuduada.com." Below is a screenshot of the page at the time of writing:
(Source: 23zaaazuduada screenshot taken on 8 Jan 2024 16:19:39 2024 UTC)
After following prompts and answering general questions, the user is asked to provide detailed information such as address and phone number to claim any prize.
There is a FedEx logo in the upper-lefthand corner, but this site is not affiliated with FedEx. FedEx's URL is fedex.com. If FedEx customers cannot find their packages, but it has been labeled as delivered, FedEx suggests reporting the package as missing with a FedEx account (archived here).
Here is a similar claim Lead Stories debunked in August 2023. A Facebook post claimed to be selling unclaimed Amazon packages for $1.95. We found that the sellers were not affiliated with Amazon, but were third-party sellers.
Other Lead Stories articles on phishing scams seeking users' personal information are here.
