"Your Package Cannot Be Delivered" Text Message — Scam Alert
You received a text saying your package cannot be delivered and you need to update your address or pay a redelivery fee through a link. This text is not from USPS, UPS, or FedEx. Delivery companies do not charge fees via text links. The link leads to a fake website designed to steal your credit card number.
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How This Scam Works
High Risk — Fake Delivery Texts Are Surging
USPS, UPS, and FedEx do not charge redelivery fees or send text messages with payment links. Any such text is a scam.
Note: This scam typically arrives via text message, not email. If you received a suspicious email, forward it to check@scam.support for a free risk assessment. For text scams, report to the FTC — see all reporting agencies.
You receive a text saying your package cannot be delivered and you need to update your address or pay a small redelivery fee. The link leads to a fake website designed to steal your credit card number or personal information. These texts often time their arrival around peak shipping seasons when people are expecting deliveries.
According to the FTC, package delivery scams were among the most reported text scams in 2023, with significant losses reported to fraudulent shipping and delivery texts. The US Postal Inspection Service has issued repeated warnings about smishing texts impersonating USPS.
Red Flags
- Text claims a package cannot be delivered
- Asks for a small fee ($1-$5) to redeliver — delivery companies do not charge this way
- Includes a link that does not go to usps.com, ups.com, or fedex.com
- Sender is an unfamiliar phone number
- You may not be expecting any package
What You Should Do
What To Do
- Do not click the link in the text
- If expecting a package, track it directly on the carrier's official website
- Go to usps.com, ups.com, or fedex.com and use the tracking number from your order
- Forward the scam text to 7726 (SPAM)
- Report to the FTC
Sources
- FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2023 — Package delivery scam reports
- US Postal Inspection Service — Smishing: Package Tracking Text Scams