Brand and service impersonation · Also called USPS text scam, missed delivery text, redelivery fee scam, parcel smishing

Package delivery text scam

A package delivery scam is a text or email that pretends to come from a postal service or courier, saying a parcel is waiting, a delivery failed, or a small fee is due. The link goes to a look-alike site that steals your card and personal details for fraud or identity theft.

How it works

1. Scammers send mass texts or emails with a fake tracking code, often timed for busy shopping periods.
2. The message says there is a problem, such as unpaid postage, a wrong address, or a missed delivery.
3. The link opens a copy of a real delivery company's website that asks for your address, card number, or other personal details.
4. The stolen details are used for fraudulent charges or identity theft, or for follow-up calls pretending to be your bank.

Red flags

• You get a delivery text for a parcel you are not expecting.
• The message asks you to pay a small fee or update your details through a link.
• The link's web address does not match the delivery company's official website.
• The message warns that the parcel will be returned or destroyed if you do not act quickly.

If you are targeted

• Stop contact: do not click the link, reply, or pay.
• Check tracking through the retailer you ordered from or the courier's official app or website.
• If you entered card details, call your card issuer to block the card and watch your statements.
• Report it. Our Report a scam page lists where to report in your country, such as ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.
• Report the text with your phone's report junk option or, in the US, forward it to 7726, then delete it.

Where to report, by country

Prevention

For individuals

• Look up delivery information on the retailer's or courier's official site, not through a link in a text.
• Use your phone's options to filter and block texts from unknown senders.
• Turn on card transaction alerts so unexpected charges stand out quickly.

For organisations

• Couriers and postal services can publish exactly how they contact customers, including whether they ever send payment links by text.
• Mobile carriers can block known smishing senders and act on 7726 reports.

By the numbers

Figures are for the reporting category this scam falls under, not this scam alone.

Real cases

No documented case in the atlas yet. New cases are added as they are sourced.

Delivered through: SMS phishing (smishing), Email phishing

How official datasets classify it

FBI IC3

Phishing/Spoofing

Scamwatch

Phishing scams

Questions

Is the text about my missed delivery real?

Do not use the link to find out. The FTC advises looking up shipping and tracking information on the site or account you ordered from.

I paid the redelivery fee through the link. What now?

Call your card issuer to block the card and dispute the charge, and watch for identity theft if you entered other details such as your date of birth.

Related scams

• Toll and traffic fine smishing
• Fake refund and over-refund scam
• Fake online store and non-delivery

Read more

• Phishing attacks: how to identify and avoid phishing scams
• Glossary: phishing