In recent months, a wave of fraudulent text messages sent in the name of “Venipak” has spread in Lithuania. Similar incidents have previously been reported in Latvia, but in recent weeks, scammers have become even bolder — they have started posing as real couriers.
In one case in Latvia, a person pretending to be a “Venipak” courier arrived at a mobile phone retail store, collected shipments intended for customers, and left. The company urges businesses to carefully verify who they hand over their parcels to.
“This marks a new level of fraud — scammers no longer limit themselves to digital activity through text messages or emails but are now physically impersonating our employees. We are currently working with the police to help clarify the circumstances of the incident. We want to warn not only individuals but also businesses — always make sure you know who you are handing your shipments to, especially during the upcoming holiday season,” emphasizes Sanita Bērziņa, Head of Venipak Latvia.
According to her, while such cases are still rare, companies must remain vigilant.
“We always recommend checking whether the courier is wearing an official ‘Venipak’ uniform and using a shipment scanner to register parcels. It’s especially important to pay attention to the details shown on the scanner — it should display the order number and the sender’s name. If you have any doubts, you can always ask the courier to show this information. If even the slightest suspicion arises, do not hand over the shipments and immediately inform both our customer service team and the police,” advises Bērziņa.
According to data from the national cybersecurity authority CERT.LV, a total of 2,011 cyber incidents were recorded in the first three quarters of this year. The most common type of cyber threat was fraud — accounting for 66% (1,326) of all registered incidents. Meanwhile, the State Police reports that in the first half of this year, 3,493 fraud cases were registered, of which 1,444 involved financial losses — totaling nearly 10 million euros.
“We continue to strengthen our internal processes and educate clients to prevent such incidents and ensure safe delivery of parcels to recipients. However, as fraudulent schemes constantly evolve, we urge both businesses and individuals to stay alert and carefully evaluate not only the messages or emails they receive but also whom they entrust their shipments to,” adds Bērziņa.
