Package Delivery Scams: Fake USPS, UPS and FedEx Texts and Emails

Package delivery scams arrive as a text or email saying a package is delayed, needs a new address, or has an unpaid fee. The link leads to a fake site that steals your card details or passwords. Because so many people are expecting packages, these messages work, especially around the holidays. Checked October 25, 2026.

How the scam works

• A text or email says your package is on hold, needs an address update, or requires a small fee to deliver.
• The link opens a site that looks like USPS, UPS, FedEx or Amazon.
• The site asks for your card number, address, Social Security number or account login.
• Scammers use the information for fraud, or sell it.

Warning signs

• You didn’t request text updates, or you aren’t expecting a package.
• The link doesn’t go to the carrier’s real website.
• A small “redelivery” or “customs” fee.
• Urgency: “Your package will be returned in 24 hours.”
• The sender is an unfamiliar number or email address.

How to check a delivery safely

1. Don’t tap the link.
2. Open the carrier’s app or type its website address yourself.
3. Enter the tracking number from your order confirmation, not from the text.
4. For online orders, check the order status in the store’s own app or website.

How to report it

• Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) to report it to your mobile carrier.
• Fake USPS messages: email spam@uspis.gov. Copy the text into the email without clicking the link, and attach a screenshot showing the sender and date.
• Other fake delivery messages: report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
• Then delete the message.

If you tapped the link or entered information

1. Card details: call your card issuer or bank right away, even if you only opened the page.
2. Passwords: change them, starting with email, and turn on two-step verification.
3. Social Security number: see Identity Theft Recovery.
4. Watch your accounts and phone bill for charges you don’t recognize.

For more on scam texts, see Scam Texts and QR Code Scams, which covers fake delivery notices left in mailboxes.

Quick checklist

• Never tap delivery links you didn’t ask for
• Track packages in the carrier’s app or official site
• Forward scam texts to 7726
• Report fake USPS messages to spam@uspis.gov
• Call your bank if you entered card details

Frequently asked questions

The text had my name. Is it real?
Not necessarily. Scammers often get names from data breaches.

Would a carrier ever charge a fee by text?
Treat any unexpected fee request by text as a scam, and check your account on the carrier’s official site.

I’m getting lots of these. Can I stop them?
Report and block each one, and turn on your phone’s spam text filtering. See Scam Texts.

Sources

• Smishing: Package Tracking Text Scams, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, accessed October 25, 2026
• Report, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, accessed October 25, 2026