Skip to content
Stay safe

Calls, codes and messages

USPS “package could not be delivered” text: is it a scam?

Yes. A text saying USPS could not deliver your package and asking you to tap a link is a scam. The Postal Inspection Service says USPS only texts you about a package if you signed up for tracking yourself, and those texts do not contain a link. Check a delivery through the store you ordered from, or by typing usps.com into your browser.
Two parcels wrapped in brown paper and tied with string, with postage stamps on top
Photo: PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay

Before you tap a delivery text

Tap each one as you check it.

What the fake delivery text says

It looks like a routine notice: your package is held, the address is incomplete, or postage was unpaid. There is a link to “update your details” or “schedule redelivery”, often with a deadline. It works because most people are waiting for something.

Example. Names and numbers are made up.

How USPS really texts you

USPS tracking texts are free and you have to start them: by signing up on USPS.com or by texting a tracking number to USPS. The Postal Inspection Service says these messages will not contain a link.

If you never asked USPS for tracking updates and a “USPS” text has a link in it, it did not come from the Postal Service.

The same trick is used with the names of other delivery companies. The test is the same for all of them: check the delivery yourself, not through the message.

The FTC says the link leads to a look-alike site that asks for personal or financial information. A tiny fee is the hook: the real target is your card number, name, address and anything else you type in. The Postal Inspection Service advises telling your bank even if you only opened the link and entered nothing.

Signs of a fake delivery text

  • You never signed up for tracking on this package
  • It has a link, even if it looks like a USPS address
  • It asks for a fee, your card or your address details
  • It gives a deadline before the package is “returned”
  • It cannot give you a real tracking number

What real USPS tracking looks like

  • You started it yourself with a tracking number
  • The text has no link in it
  • Tracking is free
  • You can check the same number by typing usps.com
  • The store you ordered from shows the same status

How to check a delivery safely

  1. Ignore the link and any number in the text.
  2. Open the order in the store's app or website, or in the email the store sent when you bought it.
  3. Copy the tracking number from there and enter it on usps.com, typed into your browser yourself.
  4. If you still have a question, use the contact details on usps.com, not ones from the message.

If it already happened

  1. Call your bank or card issuer on the number on your card. The Postal Inspection Service says to do this even if you opened the link but did not submit anything.
  2. Dispute any charge you do not recognise, and ask for a new card if you entered the card number.
  3. Report it to the Postal Inspection Service at spam@uspis.gov: copy the text of the message (not the link), add your name, and attach a screenshot showing the sender's number and the date.
  4. Forward the text to 7726 so your carrier can block the sender.
  5. If you gave your Social Security number or a photo of your ID, get a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov.
  • ReportFraud.ftc.govReport the scam to the Federal Trade Commission.
  • IC3.govThe FBI’s internet crime complaint center, for losses online.
  • IdentityTheft.govIf they got your ID, Social Security number or account details.

Questions

Does USPS send text messages?
Only if you ask for them. You start USPS tracking texts yourself with a tracking number, they are free, and the Postal Inspection Service says they do not contain a link.
I clicked the link but didn't enter anything. What should I do?
Close the page and delete the text. The Postal Inspection Service still advises telling your bank, even if you did not submit any information.
How do I report a fake USPS text?
Email spam@uspis.gov with the text copied in (not the link), your name, and a screenshot showing the sender's number and the date. Also forward the text to 7726.
Is it a scam if the text has my name in it?
It can be. Knowing your name proves nothing. What matters is whether you signed up for tracking and whether the text has a link.

Realr does not check texts or links. When a stranger online asks you for money, you can ask them to prove who they are first with a Realr check.

Ask them to verify

Sources

Checked against the sources above on 17 October 2026. By Manav Sharma, Marketing Team, Realr. This is general guidance, not legal advice.

Ask them to prove who they are, before you pay or meet.

Try Realr, free