Phone scams › Package delivery scam

Package Delivery Scams: Fake USPS, Canada Post, UPS and FedEx Texts

Package delivery scams text you about a 'failed delivery' or 'unpaid customs fee' with a link to reschedule or pay a small amount. The link harvests your card and personal details on a convincing carrier look-alike site. Real carriers don't text payment links for small fees, and USPS/Canada Post only text you if you signed up for tracking on a specific shipment.

Also known as: smishing, failed delivery text, customs fee scam.

By the LookUpSomeone editorial team · Last reviewed 2026-08-06

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How does the Package delivery scam work?

  1. Mass texts impersonate USPS, Canada Post, UPS, FedEx, or DHL: a package is held, an address is incomplete, or a small fee ($1-3) is due.
  2. The link opens a cloned carrier site requesting address, card details, and sometimes bank login 'to verify identity'.
  3. The small fee is the pretext; the card data is the target, and charges follow within days.
  4. Some variants install malware on Android via a fake tracking app download.

What does the Package delivery scam sound like?

A typical opening, paraphrased from the scripts reported to fraud agencies. Wording varies, but if your call or text follows this shape, treat it as this scam:

Unknown caller Typical example
USPS: Your package is on hold at our facility due to an incomplete delivery address. To avoid it being returned to sender, please confirm your details and pay the $1.99 redelivery fee within 24 hours: usps-redelivery-support.com/track

Common variations of this scam

  • Redelivery fee. A small 'fee' page harvests your card details on a cloned USPS, Canada Post, UPS, or FedEx site.
  • Customs charge. An international package supposedly needs duty paid before release, a lure that lands hardest on people actually expecting overseas orders.
  • Address confirmation. No payment requested at first, just 'confirm your address', then personal data and card details are collected step by step.
  • Tracking app install. Android users are prompted to download a 'tracking app' outside the app store that is actually malware intercepting texts and banking codes.

What are the warning signs?

  • Delivery texts when you're not expecting a package
  • Any payment link for small customs or redelivery fees
  • Sender numbers that are ordinary mobile numbers or overseas country codes
  • Look-alike domains (usps-redelivery.com style) instead of the carrier's real domain
  • Requests to download a tracking app from outside official app stores

Who do these scammers target?

This is a volume scam aimed at everyone, but it converts best during the holiday season and big sale events when nearly every phone belongs to someone awaiting a parcel. Frequent online shoppers, marketplace sellers, and anyone expecting international shipments are likeliest to tap a well-timed fake.

Scammers also spoof local numbers to raise answer rates, so a familiar-looking area code means nothing on its own. If a specific code keeps calling you, check its scam activity in the area code directory.

What should you do?

  1. Don't tap the link. Check deliveries only through the carrier's official app or by typing its site yourself, using your real tracking number.
  2. US: forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM) and report USPS-themed ones to [email protected]. Canada: forward to 7726 and report to the CAFC.
  3. Run the sending number through a reverse phone lookup; smishing numbers are heavily reported.
  4. If you entered card details: call your bank to block the card; watch for small test charges.
  5. Delete the message; replying (even 'STOP') confirms your number is live.

Official reporting: USPIS: report mail-related scams (US) · FTC: report fraud (US) · Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CA)

How do you protect yourself going forward?

  • Track packages only in the carrier's official app or by typing the carrier's site and using your original tracking number.
  • Treat any fee link in a text as fraudulent; carriers handle charges through notices and pickup, not text links.
  • Forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM) so carriers can block the senders network-wide.
  • Install apps only from official app stores, and never from a link in a delivery message.

Frequently asked questions

I am actually expecting a package. How do I check safely?

Open the carrier's official app or type its website address yourself and enter the tracking number from your original order confirmation. Never through the text's link, even if the timing matches a real shipment.

Does Canada Post or USPS ever charge fees by text link?

No. Real customs or postage-due charges are handled with a mailed/carded notice or at pickup, never via a payment link in an unsolicited text.

Why was the fee so small, like $1.99?

A trivial amount lowers your guard and justifies entering card details. The scam is harvesting the card itself, which is then used or sold for far more.

What is 7726?

A free spam-reporting shortcode ('SPAM') supported by major US and Canadian carriers. Forwarding scam texts there helps carriers block the sending numbers network-wide.

Getting calls from a specific area code? Check its scam activity in the area code directory, or go straight to a reverse phone lookup.