Mar 21, 2014
It so happens that I worked for the brown elves during peak seasons years ago. Parcels looking for the right home lived and died by adhesive paper notices and repeat visits, not mysterious phone calls from Customer Service. But don't take my word for it. When in doubt, go to the source .... in this case the UPS website. The same page discusses every UPS-flavored scam they could think of.
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Phone Calls, Letters, Faxes, and Other Communications Fraudulently Using the UPS Name or Brand
In addition to fraudulent websites and e-mails, fraudsters also may use the telephone, a fax machine, letters, or other communication methods in an attempt to gather your personal information. These fraudulent communications are the unauthorised actions of third parties not associated with UPS. Fraudulent communications claiming to be from UPS may claim to indicate a package is waiting to be delivered. These communications will generally ask you for personal information and/or a payment in advance of receiving a package, or may indicate a need to update your account by obtaining personal information or a copy of your UPS invoice.
If UPS contacts you regarding a package, the UPS representative will always be able to provide a tracking number, which you can verify on our website. You also should know that UPS may contact you from time to time regarding service offerings or for marketing purposes, but you may always verify our phone number and call back before proceeding.
If you are ever unsure of the validity of a communication, ask for the caller's first and last name and a call-back telephone number.
http://www.ups.com/content/gb/en/resources/sh ... S+Name+or+Brand