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Delivery Scams

Fake Package Delivery Texts and Emails: How the Scam Works

'Your package couldn't be delivered.' It's the most-sent scam message in America — and it has a 30-second defense.

By SpamCheck Editorial Team·Updated 2026-09-03·5 min read

Quick answer

Fake delivery messages impersonate USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, and Amazon, claiming your package is held and demanding a small 'redelivery fee' or address confirmation through a link. The link leads to a fake site that steals your card details — the $1.99 fee is just the excuse to collect them. The defense: carriers don't resolve delivery problems by text or email link. Check tracking only by going to the carrier's official site or app yourself, with the tracking number from your actual order. Unsure about a specific message? Forward it to check@spamcheck.com for a plain-English verdict.

Warning signs to look for

  • A text or email about a package you're not expecting — or one you are, with a 'problem'
  • A request for a small redelivery or customs fee
  • A link that isn't the carrier's plain official domain
  • Urgency: 'within 24 hours or it will be returned'
  • A sender address or number you can't identify

How the scam actually works

The message claims a delivery failed — wrong address, unpaid postage, missing customs fee. The amounts are tiny on purpose: $0.30, $1.99. Nobody calls their bank over $1.99, and that's the point. The real prize is the card number, expiry, CVV, and billing address you type into the fake redelivery page — which is then used for larger fraud or sold. Some versions instead push a 'confirmation' that installs malware or signs you up for premium-rate subscriptions.

The tells, in order of reliability

1) The link: real carriers use their plain domains (usps.com, fedex.com, ups.com). Anything else — usps-delivery.info, fedex-resolve.com, a shortened link — is fake. 2) The fee: USPS does not charge redelivery fees by text, ever. 3) The channel: carriers leave door tags and emails tied to a real tracking number you can verify; they don't send bare texts demanding payment. 4) The timing: a message about a package when you haven't ordered anything settles it instantly.

The 30-second safe response

Don't click anything in the message. If you're genuinely expecting a package, go to the retailer's site or the carrier's official app and enter the tracking number from your order confirmation. If there's a real delivery problem, it will show there — and only there. If nothing shows, the message was fake: report it (forward texts to 7726, forward emails to reportphishing@apwg.org), then delete.

If you already paid the 'fee'

Call the number on the back of the card you used and report a fraudulent charge — banks see this exact scam constantly and will cancel the card and issue a new number, which kills the stolen details. Watch statements for a few weeks. If you also entered other personal information, consider a credit freeze at the three bureaus — free, and it stops the data being used to open accounts in your name.

Why these scams spike — and who's targeted

Delivery scams surge every holiday season and every time a major retailer runs a sale, because the odds are good that any random person is genuinely waiting for a package. Older adults are targeted hardest: the messages look official, the amounts look trivial, and the 'problem' framing triggers helpfulness. This is a good one to mention to parents explicitly: 'USPS will never text you for money. If a delivery text ever looks real, forward it to SpamCheck first.'

Frequently asked questions

I am expecting a package. How do I check safely?
Use the tracking number from your order confirmation email (from the retailer you actually bought from) and enter it at the carrier's official website, typed yourself. Never verify a delivery through a link in a text or an unexpected email.
The text came from a normal phone number. Does that mean anything?
No — scam texts are sent through ordinary numbers and cheap gateways, and sender IDs are trivially faked. The number tells you nothing; the link tells you everything.

Sources

SpamCheck provides informational risk assessments and cannot guarantee that any message is completely safe. When money or sensitive information is involved, independently contact the organization using a trusted phone number or website.

About SpamCheck

SpamCheck helps people understand suspicious emails by letting them forward the message to check@spamcheck.com and receive a plain-English analysis. This guide was published by SpamCheck and written and reviewed by the SpamCheck Editorial Team.

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