The USPS package delivery text scam
USPS only texts you if you asked for tracking updates with a tracking number, and those texts never contain a link.1 A delivery text with a link is a scam.
Text Message
Today 9:41 AM
USPS: There is a problem with a delivery2 to your address. To schedule delivery, pay the redelivery fee3 at usps-redelivery.example.org4
- An ordinary phone number. USPS uses 5-digit short codes for its texts.1
- A vague delivery problem. Fake delivery texts were the most reported text scam to the FTC in 2024.2
- A fee. USPS tracking is free, and many people who paid a small "redelivery fee" were really handing over a card or Social Security number.1,2
- A link. A real USPS tracking text "will NOT contain a link".1
What to do Don't tap the link. Type usps.com yourself to track a package, and report the text to spam@uspis.gov.1
Rebuilt from FTC and Postal Inspection Service warnings, with a safe address and number. Checked 28 October 2026 against the sources.
How it works
People reported losing $470 million to scams that started with a text in 2024, five times the 2020 figure.3
- The text lands at random, in the name of USPS. The same script has used FedEx and UPS names.4
- The link opens a page made to look like the carrier's. It asks for a small fee and your details.2
- What the senders want is personal information: logins, your Social Security number, date of birth, card numbers and PINs, used for other crimes such as financial fraud.1
Waiting for a real package?
Check it yourself
Don't use anything in the text. Visit USPS.com from your phone or computer, and use the tracking number the shop gave you.1
The tracking number you have is the one to trust.
Want USPS texts?
Sign up for them with a tracking number, online or by text. USPS doesn't charge for tracking.1
Then you know which texts you asked for.
If you got one
- Don't tap the link.If you're expecting a parcel, track it at USPS.com instead.1
- Email it to the Postal Inspection Service.Copy the text of the message, without tapping the link, into an email to spam@uspis.gov. Add your name, a screenshot showing the sender's number and the date, and whether you clicked, lost money or shared details.1
- Forward it to 7726.This helps report the scam phone number.1
- If you opened the link, tell your bank.The Postal Inspection Service says to notify your financial institution even if you didn't press submit.1
If money already left your account
How you paid decides who to call first. Call today.5
| You paid by | Contact right away |
|---|---|
| Credit or debit card | Your card issuer or bank, on the number on the card, and ask for a refund. |
| Bank transfer or Zelle | Your bank or credit union. Ask them to reverse the payment. |
| Payment app | The app. Report the payment and ask for a reversal. |
| Gift card | The card's issuer, on the number on the card. Keep the card and the receipt. |
| Wire transfer | The wire transfer company. Say it was a scam and ask for a refund. |
| Cryptocurrency | The exchange or crypto ATM operator, then the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. |
Questions people ask
Does USPS text you about packages?
Only if you asked for it with a tracking number, and then the text won't contain a link.1
I tapped the link but didn't enter anything. Now what?
Notify your bank or card company anyway, and report the text to spam@uspis.gov.1
I entered my card or Social Security number. What do I do?
Call your card issuer on the number on the card. If you gave your Social Security number, go to IdentityTheft.gov and follow its recovery or protection steps.5
More scam examples
- Unpaid toll textA small toll, a late fee and a link.
- How to report a scamWhere each kind of scam goes, in the US and the UK.
- "Wrong number" textA friendly stranger who turns to investing.
- Job offer text and task scamEasy pay, then a deposit to get paid.
- Fake Geek Squad renewal emailHundreds of dollars, call within 24 hours.
- PayPal invoice scamAn invoice you never ordered, sent through PayPal.
- Fake bank fraud alert"Reply YES or NO", then a call.
- IRS scam texts and emailsA refund you weren't expecting, or a threat.
- Amazon scam texts and emailsA purchase or account problem that isn't real.
- Crypto romance scamA new friend with a trading app.
- All nine examplesThe home page, with every scam side by side.
Sources 5
- Smishing: Package Tracking Text Scams (last updated 19 May 2025), U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Read 28 October 2026.
- Top text scams of 2024 (Data Spotlight, 14 April 2025), Federal Trade Commission. Read 28 October 2026.
- New FTC data show top text message scams of 2024 (press release, 16 April 2025), Federal Trade Commission. Read 28 October 2026.
- IYKYK: The top text scams of 2022 (Data Spotlight, 8 June 2023), Federal Trade Commission. Read 28 October 2026.
- What To Do if You Were Scammed (June 2026), Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice. Read 28 October 2026.
Every example is rebuilt from an official alert and made safe, and every source shows the day we read it. How we check