"Wrong phone was shipped" texts and strangers who come to pick up the package

The Scam

According to Pennsylvania State Police at Troop N in Hazleton, people are getting text messages saying they ordered a new cellphone online or in a store, that the wrong phone was sent, and that a replacement is coming. The text says representatives for the carrier will come to the home to pick up the wrong phone, and then people show up and take it. In a second version police described, a package with a phone that the person never ordered is delivered, and people then show up claiming to be from the company, saying they know it wasn't ordered and are there to retrieve it.

The Targets

Residents who receive a text about a phone order or an unexpected phone delivery; police issued the alert for the Hazleton, Pa., area.

Red flags

• A text about a phone order you don't recognize, saying the wrong phone was sent
• A message saying a carrier representative will come to your home to pick up a phone
• A phone package you didn't order arriving at your door
• Strangers showing up claiming to be from the phone company to collect the package

Your Move

• Don't hand a delivered phone package to people just because they showed up saying they're there for it
• Call the company directly using a number you look up yourself, not the number in the text
• If you see signs of criminal behavior, call 911, police say
• Check your phone carrier account for orders or changes you didn't make

More steps for any scam link: I clicked a scam link. What now?