USPS Text Scam: How to Spot the Fake Delivery Text

Yes, a text saying your package could not be delivered and asking you to update your address is almost always a scam. USPS says it does not send texts unless you asked for them first. Those texts also do not carry a link to tap. If you never requested a text, the message is fake, however real the logo looks.

• The hook: a small redelivery or address fee that feels too cheap to question
• The trap: a lookalike website that collects your card number and personal details
• The tell: a link you did not ask for and a tracking number that checks out nowhere
• The fix: do not tap, report it, and check who sent it

Is the USPS "package could not be delivered" text a scam?

Yes, when you did not start a delivery request, it is a scam. The text usually says your parcel is on hold, your address is incomplete, or delivery failed. It asks you to tap a link and "confirm" a few details.

The link leads to a page that looks like the postal service. It asks for your name, address and then a small fee, often just a couple of dollars, to "reschedule" delivery. The fee is the hook. Few people argue over a small charge, so they type in a full card number. The scammer now has your card, your address and your phone number.

You are not careless if this almost worked on you. These texts are timed to land when many of us are waiting on an order. That is what makes them work.

Does USPS send text messages?

USPS sends tracking texts only if you asked for them first. The Postal Inspection Service says USPS will not send customers text messages or emails without a customer first requesting the service, and that those messages will not contain a link. It also says USPS tracking services are free.

So the rule is simple. No request from you means no real text. A real one never asks for a fee, because there is nothing to pay for.

Two or more warning marks on a delivery text means treat it as fake. Typing usps.com yourself is the safe way to check on a parcel.

What does a delivery scam text look like?

It looks short, urgent and slightly off. Scam delivery texts share the same few moves.

• Vague opening: "Your package could not be delivered" with no item or store named
• Pressure: act within 24 hours or the parcel goes back
• A link: often shortened, or a web address that is not usps.com
• A plain sender: a normal 10-digit mobile number or an email address, not a short code
• A request: confirm your address or pay a small fee

Check the web address letter by letter. Lookalikes swap in extra words, dashes or odd endings, such as usps-redelivery plus a strange ending. If the address does not end exactly in usps.com, it is not USPS.

What does a USPS tracking number look like?

Most USPS tracking numbers are long strings of digits, commonly 20 to 22 digits. Many start with 9. Some international ones are 13 characters: two letters, nine digits, then US. Real ones work when you type them into the tracking box on usps.com yourself.

That last part is the test. Never use the link in the text. Open a new browser tab, type usps.com and paste the number in.

How do you spot a fake tracking number?

A fake tracking number is one that finds no parcel on the real USPS site. Scammers invent numbers that look right at a glance, then hope you never check them.

• Wrong length: too short or too long for the formats above
• No match: usps.com says it cannot find it, or shows a parcel you never ordered
• Link attached: the number is built into a link that leads off usps.com
• No order: you have nothing arriving that fits

A fake number on its own is a harmless string of digits. The danger is the page it opens. If it matches nothing, do not tap the link attached to it.

Who is texting me?

Usually a spoofed or rented line, and that is the problem. Scammers send from throwaway VoIP numbers that change often. A plain web search of the number usually returns nothing, because no one has reported it yet.

The sender's number is the one clue they cannot hide. Carrier and line type tell you a lot. A mobile line registered to a real carrier is a different story from an internet number made last week.

How do you find out who texted you?

Look up the sender's number. Copy it from the text without tapping anything, and run it through a phone lookup. On Deepscanner, the free preview shows the carrier, line type and general location in about 60 seconds, and the person is never notified. If the number is a VoIP line, that tells you a lot already.

If the preview shows an internet-based line texting about a package, that is a strong sign of a scam. If you want more, the full report adds what is public about the number, in about 2 minutes. Not sure you are ready to pay? You see the exact price before you pay, you can cancel in one click, and you get your money back if nothing is found.

How do you report a USPS scam text?

Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM), which lets your carrier flag the number. Then email spam@uspis.gov with the message text, a screenshot showing the sender's number and the date, and your name. Do not tap the link while you copy it.

If you already tapped, here is what to do in the next 10 minutes. Do not feel bad. It happens to careful people.

1. Stop and do not pay. Close the page. If you typed in card details, call your bank and freeze the card.
2. Change passwords. Start with email and banking.
3. Report it. Use 7726 and spam@uspis.gov as above. You can also report at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
4. Check the sender. Look up the number so you know if it is a burner line.

Watch your bank and card statements for the next few weeks. Small unknown charges are often a test before a bigger one.

Deepscanner is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Do not use it to make decisions about employment, housing, credit, insurance or tenant screening.