Be wary of delivery scam

Unexpected gift deliveries are the newest variation of an old idea for stealing your credit or debit card information, according to the Better Business Bureau. In this scam, targets receive a call from someone identifying themselves as being from a delivery company saying there is a package on the way. When it arrives, the delivery person will ask for a nominal "verification fee." In one version of the scam, this fee confirms that a gift basket, which contains a bottle of wine, was given to a person of legal drinking age. The delivery person claims he or she can only accept credit or debit cards and produces a hand-held card scanner, which actually collects the credit/debit card number, PIN and/or security code, which con artists use to make unauthorized charges or commit identity theft. For more information on scams, visit www.bbb.org/chicago, or like on Facebook, visit on Twitter or add the agency on Pinterest.