Is that USPS or FedEx delivery text a scam?
If it arrived out of the blue with a link and asks for a fee or your address, yes — it's a smishing text, not a carrier.
Delivery smishing is one of the highest-volume scams in circulation. A text claiming to be USPS, FedEx, UPS, or DHL says a package couldn't be delivered — an "incomplete address," a customs charge, or a small "redelivery fee" of a dollar or two — and links to a page to fix it.
The page is a copy of the carrier's site. It harvests your name, address, and card details, and the tiny "fee" doubles as a test charge that validates your card for bigger fraud. USPS states it does not send texts with links unless you specifically signed up for tracking on a package — and even then it never asks for payment or personal details by text.
How does the scam work?
- 01
The text plays on a package you might be expecting
Most people have something on order most of the time, so a 'delivery problem' text lands plausibly. The tracking-style number in the message is made up — it won't match anything on the real carrier's site.
- 02
The fake site asks for a small fee or 'address confirmation'
Whether it's $0.30 for redelivery or a form to 'confirm' your address, the goal is the same: your card number and enough personal detail to use it.
- 03
Your card and identity data are monetized
Entered details are charged, resold, or used for account-takeover attempts. Some victims also see follow-up calls from 'fraud departments' — the same crew, working the data they just collected.
What are the red flags to check?
The domain isn't usps.com or fedex.com
Carriers use their own domains. Anything like usps-redelivery-help.info, fedex-track.top, or a long hyphenated address is fake. Read the domain right-to-left: only the part just before the final dot counts.
A delivery 'fee' by text
USPS, FedEx, and UPS do not collect redelivery fees or customs charges through a texted link. A request for even $0.30 is a card-harvesting test charge.
You never signed up for text alerts
USPS only texts tracking updates if you requested them for a specific package — and those messages contain a status, not a link and not a request for information.
A deadline measured in hours
"Confirm within 24 hours or your parcel is returned" is manufactured urgency. Real carriers hold packages and leave paper notices; they don't run countdown timers by SMS.
The tracking number doesn't check out
Type the number into the carrier's real website (not the texted link). If it's invalid or belongs to someone else's route, you have your answer.
Unsure even after checking these? That’s exactly what the $2 Instant URL Check is for — paste the link and get a researched verdict with evidence, instead of guessing.
What should you do right now?
- Don't click the link. If you're expecting a package, check its status in the retailer's order page or by typing the carrier's website address yourself.
- Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM). USPS-branded smishing can also go to [email protected] with a screenshot.
- Delete the message. Don't reply — any response confirms your number is active.
- If you entered card details, call your bank to block the card, and change any password you typed on the fake page.
What the check does: a one-time, researched risk report on the URL you paste. What it doesn’t do: continuous monitoring, takedowns, fund recovery, or legal advice — and we’ll never pretend otherwise.