The Fake Delivery Call That Keeps Employees on Two Phones for Gift Cards

The phone at work rings about a package. A few minutes later, you’re taking another call on your personal phone too.

You hear what sounds like approval from someone at work. There is one thing neither caller wants you to do.

Overview

The package came with a supposed fine

A worker in Europe described a caller who claimed a delivery was due and threatened a penalty if the business did not accept it promptly.

The worker said the callers occupied both the work and personal phones. They used the manager’s name and said she was on the other line.

The worker heard a woman in the background and believed it was the manager. The callers claimed she approved gift cards and other prepaid payments to resolve the problem.

The report says roughly €1,000 went to the scheme.

The worker called the actual manager afterward and said the cards had already been used. No evidence identifies the voice heard earlier.

The second call kept the person who could verify payment out of reach

The caller’s statement about the manager needed one simple check. Call the manager from the number already saved at work and ask whether she authorized anything.

Both phones being busy made that harder. The situation is a reason to end the calls. Any genuine delivery or internal payment issue can be resumed through a known contact.

Treat these as reasons to stop and verify:

• A carrier or vendor invokes a fine that you cannot match to a real shipment or invoice.
• The caller asks you to take a second call and keep the first line open.
• Somebody says your manager approved an expense but discourages you from calling the manager.
• A business fee supposedly needs to be paid with gift cards or prepaid codes.
• A person asks you to relay the codes from the workplace before you can check the expense.

The FTC’s boss impersonation warning explains why workers should verify gift-card requests directly. The package pretext in this report put that pressure in a familiar workplace setting.

Once a code is shared, the physical card is not enough

Michigan’s gift card warning covers impostors who demand payment by gift card. Keep the physical card and the receipt if you already paid.

The company that issued the card can check the payment or redemption record and tell you what evidence it needs.

The business also needs to know what happened, especially if somebody used its name or accessed anything on its behalf. Call a legitimate manager or designated finance contact promptly.

You can describe the package story without establishing that a package ever existed. Record which people reached you, what they claimed, and the payments you actually made.

How the Scam Works

Step 1: A routine delivery becomes an urgent decision

Work phones get calls about shipments all day. Somebody calling about a delivery can sound like part of the ordinary business of keeping a store or office open.

A large penalty changes the pace. Ask for the carrier name and a written reference. Use dispatch or the workplace’s shipment records to check it after you hang up.

If an actual package is expected, compare the destination and timing with your own records. Verify any genuine fee through the official carrier or vendor and internal payment process.

Keep the package problem separate from the demand for a payment. You can accept a real delivery according to your workplace procedure without settling a stranger’s claimed penalty.

Step 2: The worker is asked to stay on two lines

In the report, the worker was talking on the work phone and a personal phone. One conversation referred to a manager supposedly taking part in the other.

When you cannot independently reach the person giving approval, you do not have enough information to act. Hang up and use a known number or ask a colleague to call.

The same advice applies if the second conversation arrives through a messaging app. End the conversation long enough to verify it through an established work channel.

If the caller says the manager cannot talk directly, treat that as an unverified instruction. Write down what the caller says and speak to the manager yourself.

Step 3: A voice in the background seems to confirm the story

A familiar name and voice-like sound can make a claim feel less abstract. If you cannot speak to the person directly, you cannot tell what they agreed to or why.

The reported worker later reached the manager separately. That direct contact mattered. The account did not establish who was speaking in the background, or how the voice came through.

Approvals should be specific. Ask whether your manager knows about the shipment and whether they authorized that amount, recipient, and payment method. Use a route already established at work.

If your own manager really wants a gift-card purchase for an event, the request can be verified under normal procedures. There is no reason to skip those checks.

Step 4: The requested payment becomes a set of codes

The callers told the worker that gift cards and prepaid payments would resolve the alleged problem. At this point the approval claim mattered more than the package details.

Stop if somebody asks you to send a photo, copy a code, or read a number from a card.

What you share can be used before the physical card leaves your hand.

If you already bought a card but shared nothing, keep it private and contact its issuer. If you shared the code, tell it exactly when you did that.

The FTC’s guide for small businesses covers impersonation and unusual payment demands. Your workplace can use those examples to set a rule for who approves urgent expenses.

How to Verify a Delivery Request in the Middle of a Shift

Use the delivery docket, order history, or expected shipment list. Ask the colleague who placed the order to confirm what should be arriving and under which terms.

If the shipment was arranged by another branch, call that branch using your directory. Give it the reference the caller provided without giving the caller more details about your operations.

Use the vendor number in a known contract, prior invoice, or official account. A number supplied by the caller is part of the story you are trying to check.

If you are the only person working, leave a note for the manager and ask the caller to send any request through the established route. Wait for verified approval.

When a real courier arrives while you’re dealing with a suspicious call, let the ordinary receiving process decide what happens. Keep the payment request separate.

If the contact used your personal number

Save the number and time the call came in before blocking it. The caller may get in touch again using the same shipment story or a different claim.

Tell your manager that the person used a personal number as well as the work line. If exposed details could help target another employee, share the facts internally.

If you sent passwords, payment credentials, or internal records at any point, tell the right workplace team.

That exposure needs a separate response even if it occurred in the same call.

If you received any follow-up texts, keep them in order. Write down when you first called the real manager or vendor so the business can compare its records.

What the Manager and Finance Team Can Check

Review who can authorize a purchase of that size. Ask whether approvals go through a phone call, a work account, or a purchase order.

Ask the manager whether they were available when the caller mentioned them. If a real delivery was expected, ask which carrier was booked and whether any issue was recorded.

Check whether there is an open invoice or only a verbal claim.

If a vendor provides confirmation, keep it with the report so investigators can distinguish a legitimate delivery from impersonation.

Ask staff who handled the receipts to save the transaction numbers. If cards came from several shops, the purchase times and account records can help identify each card.

If a colleague received a similar request earlier in the day, ask them to make a separate record. Similar claims can be compared without treating everyone’s experience as the same.

Use the incident to check which verified numbers are accessible during a shift.

A clear number at the register or desk is useful when the two phones are both in use.

If a caller tries to rejoin the conversation

Tell staff where the actual inquiry is being handled. A named internal contact can confirm whether someone has permission to ask about the report or any payment details.

If the caller says the original fine is still open, tell them nothing about what you saved. Verify the status with the real business or carrier, using the earlier reference.

Ask finance to check whether a real company card was used for the purchases. If it was someone’s personal card, coordinate the report with that person and their issuer.

If a customer or coworker asks why things are taking longer, a simple answer is enough. You’re confirming a payment request through an approved channel and need a moment.

What to Do if You Have Fallen Victim to This Scam

End the calls and contact the real manager. If any gift card code was shared, also contact the issuer promptly while you still have the card and receipt.

1. Stop the payment and end both calls. Do not send more codes, photos, or transfers. Call the manager using the workplace directory or a saved number.

2. Contact the gift card issuer. Tell it the code was shared in a scam. Give the receipt and ask whether it can stop or review redemption.

3. Notify finance or loss prevention. Give the amount, payment method, and exact time. Report separately any workplace credentials or records you shared.

4. Preserve the evidence. Keep the cards, receipts, call times, messages, and any shipment numbers mentioned. Store copies away from public channels.

5. Report through the appropriate local route. Ask your workplace who files a fraud report. Contact the police or fraud reporting service for your jurisdiction as appropriate.

6. Check for follow-up requests. Tell coworkers which recovery or verification channels are real so they can recognize anyone returning with the same story.

If you paid with a card or bank account to buy the gift cards, tell the issuer exactly how the payment occurred. Distinguish the purchase from the later code redemption.

Ask the gift card issuer for a reference and save its status. If several cards were involved, report each amount and identify which codes were given away.

Keep the work report factual. Separating what the caller said, what you heard, and what you paid gives the business a timeline it can actually use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why would a fraud caller use a delivery as the opening?

A shipment is ordinary enough to discuss with the person who answers a business phone. Bringing up a supposed penalty can make that person feel they must resolve it immediately.

Verify the shipment and any fee with the real provider. The caller’s ability to describe a business task cannot authorize a payment.

What if the caller knew the manager’s name?

Treat that as a detail to check, not as approval. Reach your manager through a number you already use, then ask about the specific package and charge.

If you overheard a voice, describe it as something you heard on the call. Avoid attributing it unless the person confirms they spoke to you.

Is it safe to stay on the work line while somebody else checks?

You can end the call while a colleague verifies the request. If the carrier or vendor is genuine, you can reach them again through an official route.

Stopping the call also leaves you free to secure a payment or report an issue without the stranger hearing what you are doing.

Can the card issuer refund already redeemed gift cards?

Contact it anyway. Available options depend on the issuer and card status. Give it the receipt and explain when the code was shared.

If the issuer cannot stop the redemption, ask for a record of its response. Keep that record for your workplace and any formal report.

What if I bought the gift cards but still have every code?

Do not send or photograph the codes for the caller. Ask the issuer or merchant how to verify the balance and whether a return is available.

Keep the receipt, especially if the business reimbursed the purchase. Tell finance that the cards were bought and that you did not share the numbers.

What should our business change after this?

Make sure workers know which person or department can approve an unusual payment. Put its contact information where it’s easy to find in the middle of a shift.

Give staff explicit permission to end an unverified call. Review evidence preservation and whom to contact if somebody sends a code before realizing something is wrong.

The Bottom Line

If a delivery caller claims your manager approved gift cards, get off both lines and verify it with the manager.

Use the same expense rules you would on any other day.

If you already sent a code, contact the gift card issuer and your workplace immediately. Save the card, receipt, and timing so they can check what happened.