Short answer: it usually isn't real. Fake "failed delivery" texts are one of the most common scams in the world, and they work because almost everyone is waiting for a parcel.
🛡️
This is one scam out of dozens.The Scam-Proof Playbook covers phishing, bank and government impersonation, job and romance scams, AI voice cloning, and protecting your family. Plain language, real examples.
Get the Playbook · $24 →
What the fake text says
The message borrows the name of a delivery company you know, like USPS, Royal Mail, DHL, FedEx, Evri, Aramex, or your local post office. It says your package could not be delivered, that your address is incomplete, that it is being held, or that there is unpaid postage. To fix it, you just need to tap the link and reschedule.
Some versions add a deadline, saying the parcel will be returned if you don't act within 24 hours. That pressure is the point. It stops you from checking first.
What happens when you tap the link
The link opens a page that looks just like a real tracking page. It asks you to confirm your name, address, and phone number, then asks for a small fee to redeliver the parcel, often only a dollar or two. The fee is bait. What the scammers really want is your card number and your personal details, which they can use or sell.
The US Postal Inspection Service says USPS will not text or email you unless you first asked for tracking updates with your tracking number, and even then, the message will not contain a link.
How to tell it's fake
- You never signed up for texts from that delivery company for that parcel.
- It contains a link asking you to reschedule, confirm your address, or pay.
- The web address is wrong. It is not the company's official website, or it has extra words, odd spellings, or strange endings.
- It asks for a small fee to release or redeliver a parcel.
- It comes from a random phone number or email address, often with a deadline.
What to do
- Don't tap the link and don't reply.
- Check your order yourself. Open the shop's app or website, or type the delivery company's official website into your browser and enter your own tracking number.
- Report and delete it. In the US and the UK, you can forward scam texts to 7726. In the US, you can also report fake USPS texts to spam@uspis.gov.
If you already tapped the link or paid
- If you entered card details, call your bank or card company now using the number on the back of your card, and ask them to block the card.
- If you entered a password, change it right away, and anywhere else you used the same one.
- Watch your statements for charges you don't recognize, even small ones.
- Be extra careful with calls over the next few weeks. Scammers who have your details may phone pretending to be your bank. Hang up and call the number on your card instead.
- Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US, or to your country's fraud reporting service.
The simple rule: never use a link in a delivery text. Go to the shop or courier yourself.
Sources: US Postal Inspection Service: Smishing, package tracking text scams · FTC: Don't click on that random text
Want the full playbook?
This is one trick out of dozens. The Scam-Proof Playbook covers fake delivery texts, phishing links, bank impersonation, and more, in plain language, with real examples.