How to recognize fake "Fedex - Incoming Package Notification" emails

What kind of email is "Fedex - Incoming Package Notification"?

Our inspection of the "Fedex - Incoming Package Notification" email revealed that it is fake. The spam message instructs the recipient to check their delivery address to receive their package. It must be emphasized that this email is not associated with the actual FedEx Corporation. The goal of this phishing campaign is to extract sensitive information from recipients.

"Fedex - Incoming Package Notification" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "FedEx Package Arrival." (may vary) informs the recipient that their sample package has arrived at a local FedEx office. The message instructs them to follow the provided link to check their delivery address so the package can be dispatched. It must be reiterated that the claims made by this email are false, and this mail is in no way associated with the FedEx Corporation.

At the time of research, the website promoted by this campaign was down. Note that it could be rectified in potential future releases (i.e., emails will redirect to a functional page). The endorsed webpage was likely a phishing site, a type of page that records entered data and sends it to scammers. It is most probable that the targeted information was either email log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, or financial data.

Fake package-tracking websites often claim to be secured with email log-in credentials and request users to provide theirs to enter. Stolen emails can be used for a variety of nefarious purposes; cyber criminals may even attempt to hijack linked accounts/platforms/services (e.g., social networking, messengers, cloud storage, entertainment, e-commerce, online banking, etc.).

Scammers can steal the account owner's identity and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious links or files. Stolen finance-related accounts can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

Alternatively, the spam email could promote a webpage targeting personally identifiable information, such as names, birthdates, home and work addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, etc. Alternatively, victims may be asked to pay shipping fees – thus, they would transfer funds for bogus reasons or expose their financial details (like credit/debit card numbers).

In summary, by trusting an email like "Fedex - Incoming Package Notification" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have already provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay. If you have disclosed your personally identifiable or finance-related information – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.

Phishing spam campaign examples

We have written about countless spam campaigns; "Fund Transfer Intercepted", "JP Morgan Chase Fund Release", "We Have Updated Your Citi Debit Card", and "cPanel Mailbox Settings Might Need An Update" are merely a few of our newest articles on phishing emails.

It must be mentioned that spam mail is used to promote various scams, including advance fee, refund, sextortion, tech support, etc. These messages are also used to distribute trojans, ransomware, and other malware.

Spam mail is incredibly prevalent, and it can be competently crafted and believably disguised as messages from legitimate entities. Therefore, we highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other communications.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware by distributing infectious files as attachments or download links. These files come in various formats, such as archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Merely opening a malicious file can be enough to trigger the infection chain. However, certain formats need extra user interaction. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly advise vigilance with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent.

However, malware is not spread only through spam campaigns. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing, as the Internet is rife with deceptive and malicious content.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and trustworthy sources. All programs must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.

It is paramount to have a dependable antivirus installed and kept up-to-date. Security software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats and issues. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Fedex - Incoming Package Notification" spam email letter:

Subject: FedEx Package Arrival.

FedEx
Incoming Package Notification!

Dear ********,

We want to inform you that your sample package registerd with your email ******** as the Receiver has arrived our Local office and it's ready for dispatch to your delivery address.

Please follow the URL below to check if your delivery address is correct, so our dispatch team can deliver your sample package to you soon.

Track My Shipment

Thank you for letting us serve you better.

Regards,
FedEx CustomerCare

Our solutions connect people and possibilities.
Connecting people with goods, services and ideas creates opportunities and improves lives.
At FedEx, we believe that a connected world is a better world, and that belief guides everything we do.

Gain unparallelled insight into where your shipment is, when it is scheduled to arrive, and any events along the way.
Using FedEx Tracking is intuitive and the features empower you to follow and manage your shipments in the way that's most efficient for you.
FedEx © 2025 | All rights reserved.

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Quick menu:

• What is "Fedex - Incoming Package Notification" phishing email?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using  Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

Spam emails are not personal, even if they include information of such nature. These messages are sent out in mass-scale operations – therefore, thousands of users receive identical or incredibly similar emails.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?

If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if you have provided other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – contact relevant authorities without delay.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Reading an email is harmless. Systems are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?

Whether the device was infected might depend on the format of the opened file. Executables cause infections almost without fail (once opened). However, some formats – like documents – might require additional interaction (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.) to initiate the infection chain.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner is designed to scan computers and remove all kinds of threats. It is capable of detecting and eliminating most of the known malware infections. It must be stressed that performing a complete system scan is crucial since high-end malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.