A fake package delivery text is a message that pretends to come from USPS, UPS, FedEx or another carrier and claims your parcel is stuck, needs a new address or needs a small "redelivery fee." The link goes to a lookalike site built to steal your card number, your login or your personal details. The short version: real carriers don't text you out of the blue asking for money, so don't tap the link. Check the tracking number yourself on the carrier's own site or app.
Package delivery texts were the most commonly reported type of text scam in the FTC's 2024 data, and they spike whenever lots of people are waiting on deliveries, which is why the run-up to the holidays is prime season. Below: how it works, annotated examples, a red-flags table and a checklist if you already clicked.
Key takeaways
- USPS says it does not text or email you unless you first asked for tracking updates with a tracking number, and those messages contain no links.
- A request for a fee, card details or an address "confirmation" in an unexpected text is the clearest sign of a scam.
- If you clicked, close the page. If you entered card or bank details, call your bank right away, then change any password you typed.
- Report the text: forward it to 7726 (SPAM), use Report Spam in your messaging app, and file at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. USPS-themed texts can also go to spam@uspis.gov.
- Scams that started with a text cost people $470 million in 2024, according to the FTC.
How does the fake delivery text scam work?
The scam is a type of smishing, which is phishing by SMS or other text message. It works because most people have something on the way, so a short note about a missed delivery seems routine. The FCC lists package delivery updates as common phishing bait.
- The bait arrives. A text or email claims a parcel couldn't be delivered because of an incomplete address, an unpaid fee or a missed attempt. It often includes a fake tracking number to look official.
- Pressure is applied. The message sets a short deadline, such as "within 12 hours," or warns that the package will be returned to the sender.
- You tap the link. It opens a lookalike page that copies a carrier's colors and layout. The web address is not the carrier's real domain.
- The form asks for "just a little." First your name and address, then a small fee, often a dollar or two, paid by card. The small amount lowers your guard.
- Your data is harvested. The card number, expiry date and security code go straight to the scammers. Some also ask for a password or a one-time code.
- The real theft follows. Your card is used for larger purchases, added to a digital wallet or sold. Your details may be reused in follow-up scams, including fake "fraud department" calls.
Some versions skip the link and ask you to reply or call a number instead. Don't. Replying tells the sender your number is active, and a call puts you on the line with someone trained to talk you into paying. The FCC's advice is simple: avoid replying to unknown or suspicious senders, and never send personal or financial details by text.
What do real warnings say these texts look like?
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service describes these messages as unsolicited texts about a USPS delivery that ask you to respond and include an unfamiliar link. The FTC has warned about texts asking you to confirm debit card details before a package can be released, and FedEx warns about messages pushing people to web addresses ending in .shop. The examples below are written by us to show the common patterns; they are not copies of real messages, and the bracketed web addresses are placeholders.
Example 1, the "incomplete address" text: "USPS: Your package is on hold at our warehouse due to an incomplete address. Update within 24 hours: [random-name].top/us". Red flags: you never signed up for USPS texts, the link isn't usps.com, and there's a countdown.
Example 2, the "redelivery fee" text: "Delivery attempt failed. A $1.99 redelivery fee is required. Pay now to reschedule: [carrier-name]-redeliver.shop". Red flags: a fee to release a parcel, a lookalike domain, and no tracking number you recognize.
Example 3, the email version: a message with a slightly blurry carrier logo, odd grammar and a big "Reschedule delivery" button. Hover over the button on a computer and the real destination doesn't match the carrier. UPS lists distorted logos, poor grammar, a sense of urgency and mismatched links as classic warning signs.
Red flags vs. what real carrier notifications look like
Real carriers do send delivery updates, so the goal isn't to ignore every message. It's to know what a legitimate one looks like and to check independently. Here's what the carriers themselves say.
| What you see | Fake delivery text | Real USPS / UPS / FedEx notification |
|---|---|---|
| Did you ask for it? | Arrives out of the blue, often for a package you weren't expecting | USPS sends texts or emails only after you request updates with a tracking number (for example by texting it to 28777) or through an account you set up |
| Links | Short or odd domains (.top, .shop, misspellings like fedx or fed-ex) | USPS says its requested tracking texts contain no links; UPS and FedEx links point to their own ups.com and fedex.com domains |
| Money | Asks for a small "redelivery" or "address update" fee by card | FedEx says it never requests payment or personal information to release a package; UPS says only COD, duties or taxes involve payment |
| Tone | Urgent deadlines, threats to return the parcel, errors and odd spacing | Plain status updates with a tracking number you can look up yourself |
| Personal data | Wants your card, date of birth, account login or a one-time code | Legitimate companies don't ask you to confirm account details by text, per the FTC |
| How to check | Only works if you tap their link | Type usps.com, ups.com or fedex.com yourself, or open the carrier's official app, and enter the tracking number |
Sources: USPIS smishing guidance, USPS Text Tracking, UPS "Protect Yourself From Fraud and Scams," FedEx "Recognize & report fraud," FTC spam text guidance (accessed October 2026).
One nuance: for international shipments, FedEx says it may email or text a secure link to pay duties and taxes. If you get one, don't use the link. Go to fedex.com yourself and look up the shipment, or use the tool FedEx provides on its site. The same rule applies to UPS: tracking your package on ups.com is the safest way to see whether any fee is genuinely due.
How much do text and email scams cost people?
The FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network collects fraud reports from the public. In its 2024 Data Book, the latest full annual data book available as of October 2026, people reported these losses for scams that started with each contact method:
Text messages were the third most commonly reported contact method in 2024, behind email and phone calls, and the FTC says text-scam losses were five times higher than in 2020. In March 2026 testimony to Congress, the FTC said text messages became the most commonly reported contact method by number of reports in 2025, and total reported fraud losses reached $15.9 billion. Keep in mind these are only the losses people chose to report, so the true totals are higher.
What to do if you clicked a fake delivery link
Clicking alone usually isn't a disaster, but what you did next matters. Work through this list in order and skip the steps that don't apply.
- Stop and close the page. Don't finish the form, and don't reply to the text.
- Take a screenshot first. Capture the message, the sender's number and the date. On iPhone, using Delete and Report Spam removes the message, so screenshot before you report.
- If you entered card details, call your bank or card issuer now. Use the number on the back of your card. Ask them to block the card, issue a new one and review recent charges. The Postal Inspection Service also advises notifying your financial institution if you interacted with the link at all.
- If you typed a password, change it. Change it on the real site and anywhere else you reused it, then turn on two-step verification. If you shared a one-time code, tell that company immediately.
- If you downloaded anything, check your phone. Delete unfamiliar apps and update your operating system. If something still seems off, back up your data and consider a reset.
- Watch for follow-up scams. Fake "bank fraud department" calls often follow. Hang up and call your bank using a number you already trust.
- If your identity details were taken, such as a Social Security number or date of birth, use IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan and consider a credit freeze with the three credit bureaus.
How to report a delivery scam text
Reporting takes a minute and helps carriers and phone companies block the same campaign for others.
- Forward it to 7726 (SPAM). This sends the message to your wireless carrier. The FTC, FCC and USPIS all recommend it.
- Use your phone's built-in report option. On iPhone, open Messages and tap Report Spam at the bottom of a message from an unknown sender, then Delete and Report Spam (or swipe left on the message in the list). In Google Messages on Android, press and hold the conversation, tap Block, then Report spam, then OK.
- USPS-themed texts: email the message text, without clicking the link, plus a screenshot showing the sender and date, to spam@uspis.gov.
- FedEx-themed messages: forward them to abuse@fedex.com. UPS-themed messages: use the fraud reporting form linked from UPS's "Protect Yourself From Fraud and Scams" page.
- File a report with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and if you lost money, also with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
- Outside the US: in Canada, report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre; in the UK, forward the text to 7726 and report it to Report Fraud, the service that replaced Action Fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from December 2025 (in Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101).
How to cut down on these texts
You can't stop scammers from trying, but you can make their messages easier to ignore. On iPhone, open Messages, tap the filter button in the conversation list, tap Manage Filtering and turn on Screen Unknown Senders. Messages from numbers you don't know move to a separate folder without notifications. Spam filtering is on by default in the same menu. On Android, Google Messages has spam protection that moves suspected spam to a Spam & blocked folder, and your carrier may offer free blocking tools too.
The bigger fix is a habit: never act on a delivery message by tapping its link. Keep your real tracking numbers in the retailer's order confirmation, and check them on the carrier's site or official app. Signing up for official tracking alerts through the carrier's own website or app gives you a trusted place to compare against. If the text says your package is stuck but the official tracker says it's on time, you have your answer. For more on keeping your inbox and messages clean, see our complete guide to a cleaner, safer email inbox, and lock down your accounts with our guide to passwords, 2FA and safer logins so a stolen password alone can't get anyone in.
How to protect parents and other family members
Older relatives and teens are frequent targets, not because they're careless but because the messages are designed to look routine. What helps: show them an example message, agree on one rule ("we never pay delivery fees by text"), and set up filtering on their phones together. Make it clear they can forward any odd message to you without embarrassment.
If you look after a family member's tech, our family tech safety guide covers emergency settings and other protections worth turning on at the same time.
When this advice isn't enough: limits to know
- Some real messages do include links. Retailers, UPS and FedEx send legitimate tracking emails and texts, and FedEx may send a link to pay international duties. The point isn't that every link is fake; it's that you should verify through a site or app you open yourself.
- Filters miss things. Spam filtering and unknown-sender screening catch a lot, but new numbers and new domains slip through. Don't treat a message in your main inbox as verified.
- Reporting doesn't get your money back. 7726 and FTC reports help stop campaigns and support investigations. Recovering money depends on your bank or card issuer, so call them first.
- Card disputes have deadlines. Credit cards generally offer stronger fraud protection than debit cards, and acting quickly matters for both. Check your issuer's terms.
Frequently asked questions
Does USPS text you about packages?
Only if you asked it to. The Postal Inspection Service says USPS won't text or email you unless you first request updates with a tracking number, and those messages don't contain links. Any unexpected USPS-branded text with a link should be treated as a scam.
What happens if I clicked a fake delivery link?
If you only opened the page, close it and don't enter anything; the main risk is what you type next. If you entered card details, call your bank right away to block the card. If you typed a password or shared a code, change the password and turn on two-step verification.
How do I report a delivery scam text?
Forward it to 7726 (SPAM), use Report Spam in your messaging app, and file a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For USPS-themed texts, also email the text and a screenshot to spam@uspis.gov; for FedEx-themed messages, forward to abuse@fedex.com.
Do UPS or FedEx ever charge fees by text?
FedEx says it never asks for payment or personal information in exchange for releasing a package, although it may send a secure link to pay international duties and taxes. UPS says only collect-on-delivery, duties or taxes involve payment. In either case, check fees by tracking the package on the carrier's own site.
Why do I get these texts if I'm not expecting a package?
Scammers send them in bulk to huge lists of numbers, betting that some recipients are expecting something. Getting one doesn't mean your data was leaked or that a real package exists.
Sources
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service: Smishing (accessed October 2026)
- FTC: New FTC Data Show Top Text Message Scams of 2024; Overall Losses to Text Scams Hit $470 Million (accessed October 2026)
- FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024 (accessed October 2026)
- FTC: New FTC Data Show a Big Jump in Reported Losses to Fraud to $12.5 Billion in 2024 (accessed October 2026)
- FTC Testimony at the Joint Economic Committee Hearing on the Rising Scam Economy (March 25, 2026) (accessed October 2026)
- FTC Consumer Advice: How To Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages (accessed October 2026)
- FCC: FCC Issues Consumer Alert on Robotext Scams (accessed October 2026)
- USPS Text Tracking (accessed October 2026)
- UPS: Protect Yourself From Fraud and Scams (accessed October 2026)
- FedEx: Recognize & report fraud (accessed October 2026)
- Apple Support: Report spam and block senders in Messages on iPhone (accessed October 2026)
- Apple Support: Screen and filter text messages on iPhone (accessed October 2026)
- City of London Police: Report Fraud service goes live (December 2025) (accessed October 2026)
- Google Messages Help: Report spam (accessed October 2026)
Top image: "Damaged fragile parcel delivered to doorstep" by Meanwell Packaging, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized). Charts and tables by Thank You Robot.
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