Scam record · 958 reader reports
The package delivery text scam
Also called: USPS text scam, UPS text scam, FedEx text scam, delivery smishing, redelivery fee scam
The package delivery text scam is a text claiming a package could not be delivered because of a missing address detail or a small redelivery fee, with a link to a fake carrier page that collects your card number and personal details.
What to do right now
- Do not click. Delete it.
- If you are expecting something, check the carrier's real app or type its address yourself and use the tracking number from your order.
- Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) and, for USPS versions, to spam@uspis.gov.
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How it works
“USPS: your package is on hold due to an incomplete address. Confirm your details within 24 hours: [link].” The page looks like the carrier’s site and asks for your address, then a card for a $1.99 redelivery fee. The address confirms you are real; the card is the prize.
The texts go out by the million, timed to the holidays and to big sale days when most people are expecting something. Receiving one proves nothing. The real carriers do not charge redelivery fees by text and do not need your card to deliver a package you already paid for.
If you already paid or gave information
- Call your card issuer, report it as fraud and get a new card number.
- Change any password you entered and turn on two-factor authentication on that account.
Where to report it
- USPS Inspection Service
- FTC: reportfraud.ftc.gov
- Report it to Latchkey Daily so we can warn other readers
Questions people ask
- What is the package delivery text scam?
- The package delivery text scam is a text claiming a package could not be delivered because of a missing address detail or a small redelivery fee, with a link to a fake carrier page that collects your card number and personal details.
- What should I do if I got the package delivery text scam?
- Do not click. Delete it. If you are expecting something, check the carrier's real app or type its address yourself and use the tracking number from your order. Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) and, for USPS versions, to spam@uspis.gov.
- What if I already paid or gave information?
- Call your card issuer, report it as fraud and get a new card number. Change any password you entered and turn on two-factor authentication on that account.
- USPS texted me a tracking link once. Was that fake?
- USPS only texts if you signed up for tracking alerts on a specific package, and it never asks for payment or personal details by text. If you did not sign up, it is a scam.
Related
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The unpaid toll text scamThe unpaid toll text scam is a text message claiming you owe a small toll balance and must pay through a link today to avoid a late fee; the link leads to a fake toll-agency page that takes your card number and personal details.
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The Amazon impersonation scamThe Amazon impersonation scam is a call, text or email about a large order you did not place, a locked account or a Prime renewal, designed to get you to call a number or click a link where a fake agent takes your login, your card, or remote control of your device.
Lockdown guide
Lock down your iPhoneYour phone is your bank, your email, your photos and your two-factor codes. A stolen passcode is a stolen life.
Lockdown guide
Lock down your Android phoneYour phone holds your bank, your email and your two-factor codes. A weak screen lock or a sideloaded app hands all of it over.