Fake Delivery Text Scams: What to Watch For
If you have received a text claiming your package needs an address update, a small redelivery fee, or a customs payment, you are looking at one of the most reported consumer scams of the year. Real carriers - USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, Amazon - do not text strangers for payment. They do not threaten to destroy your package. They do not need you to click a link to verify your address.
These messages work because they are deliberately ambiguous. Most people are expecting some package, so the fake notification feels plausible enough to tap. Once you are on the scammer's site, the page does an excellent imitation of the carrier's branding and asks for a small fee on a credit card - just enough to feel safe paying.
The fee is not the real scam. The card you enter on that page is sold or charged in the background within hours. This guide shows you the pattern that all variants share and what to do if you already tapped the link.
Warning signs
- The sender is a long random number, an email-to-SMS address, or starts with international country code you do not recognize. Real carrier SMS comes from a short code or the carrier's branded SMS shortname.
- The link is shortened or uses a domain that is not the carrier's real site. The real sites are usps.com, fedex.com, ups.com, dhl.com, amazon.com - everything else is suspicious.
- The message asks for a small fee (often $1.99 - $3.99) to release the package. Real carriers do not charge to re-deliver domestic mail.
- The message threatens to return or destroy the package within hours unless you act. Real carriers attempt re-delivery for several days and leave a physical note.
- There is no real tracking number, or the tracking number is in the wrong format for that carrier (USPS is 22 digits, UPS starts with 1Z, FedEx is 12 or 15 digits).
- The page asks for credit card details immediately for the small fee. Real carrier sites only ask for payment when you are buying postage or scheduling pickup, not to re-deliver.
- After you submit the small fee, a follow-up call or text says there is now a problem with your card and asks you to confirm "to release the package".
- The same wording appears on Reddit's r/scams or in news headlines from the last 30 days. Search for the exact phrase from the text.
What to do
- Do not tap the link, even "just to see". Modern scam pages can fingerprint your device before you enter anything.
- Open the carrier's official app or type their site yourself and look up the tracking number. If you do not have a tracking number you were expecting, you do not have a delivery being held.
- In the US, forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) to report it to your carrier. It costs nothing and helps shut down the sender's number.
- Block and delete the message.
- Run the URL through FakeOrLegit if you are unsure - we will tell you whether the domain matches any known carrier-impersonation pattern.
- If you already entered card details, call your bank immediately, lock the card, and dispute any pending charges. The faster you call, the more likely you recover the funds.
- If you entered a real address, do not panic - your address alone is not catastrophic, but watch for follow-up scams that reference it as proof of legitimacy.
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Disclaimer
FakeOrLegit provides automated risk signals based on publicly observable patterns. We do not guarantee that any site, email, or message is safe or unsafe. Always use your own judgment, and contact the real institution directly to verify any request before sharing personal or payment information.