Common USPS Text-Message Scams

An unexpected text may claim that USPS cannot deliver a package until you fix an address or pay a small fee. The link can lead to a page asking for personal or payment information. Do not assume the USPS name or a delivery-looking web address is genuine. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service calls this package-tracking smishing.

Verify a package notice

Open USPS.com or an official app yourself and check a tracking number you already have. If you are expecting a parcel, ask the sender for its tracking number through an existing conversation. Do not enter payment details through the message’s link.

The Postal Inspection Service says USPS text tracking requires a customer to initiate the service for a specific package, that the tracking service is free, and that its tracking texts do not contain a link. A text you did not request that directs you to a delivery form therefore deserves special caution. Still, verify a real delivery issue through USPS directly rather than deciding from the wording alone.

If you interacted with the message

If you entered card or bank information, notify your financial institution through a trusted channel. If you shared a password, change it in the real account and check for reuse elsewhere. The recovery guide organizes these steps. The Postal Inspection Service provides a specific reporting procedure for USPS-related smishing and also recommends forwarding the text to 7726 (SPAM).

You can paste a redacted message into the suspicious text checker to see explainable warning signs. Its result cannot confirm that a message came from USPS.