USPS text scam: is that delivery text real?
Editorially reviewed · Last updated September 8, 2026
Yes — this is a scam. USPS doesn't text you a link to pay a fee or “confirm” your address.
Exhibit · Text message
Other versions you might get: A “U.S. Customs” text about a parcel “being cleared” with a small clearance fee, a “redelivery fee” of a dollar or two, a “failed delivery” needing your address, or “Your USPS parcel is waiting — update your info.” Some even ask you to reply “Y” and reopen the link — that’s the scam working around your phone’s link-blocking. Same trap, same fix.
Reported versions of this message
Each source below documented a text. Web addresses are defanged, and identifying values may be redacted; the remaining wording follows the source. Similar wording is a reason to check independently, not proof that two messages came from the same sender.
“The USPS package has arrived at the warehouse and cannot be delivered due to incomplete address information ... please click on the image to share it to Google browser, complete your address ...”
Documented by Brown University OIT · October 2023 “Your package is on hold for an invalid recipient address. Fill in the correct address info by the link.”
Documented by Krebs on Security · October 2023 “U.S. Post: You have a USPS parcel being cleared, due to the detection of an invalid zip code address, the parcel cannot be cleared, the parcel is temporarily detained, please confirm the zip code address information in the link within 24 hours.”
Documented by CBS News Chicago · December 2024 “U.S Customs: You have a USPS parcel being cleared, due to the detection of an invalid zip code address, the parcel can not be cleared, the parcel is temporarily detained, please confirm the zip code address information in the link within 24 hours. (Please reply with a Y, then exit the text message and open it again to activate the link, or copy the link into your Safari browser and open it) Have a great day for the USPS team!”
Documented by MalwareTips · October 2024 “Your courier cannot be delivered correctly, due to the wrong house number, Please confirm that the information will be delivered. hxxps://usprenewal[.]com”
Documented by Snopes · May 2022 “@USPS; As a reminder, A package needs your attention (3.00 $ unpaid fee). Please complete the process here: hxxps://s[.]gosite[.]com/[redacted]”
Documented by Snopes · May 2022 “We've failed to ship your package, for reshipment please visit hxxps://reshipmentusps[.]com and confirm the compensation of (1.99)”
Documented by Snopes · May 2022 “USPS package has arrived at the warehouse and could not be delivered due to an invalid zip code address being detected. Please confirm the zip code address information link.”
Documented by Newsweek · March 2025
What to do right now
- Don't tap the link or enter anything. Don't reply — even “STOP” tells them the number is live.
- Check independently. Open usps.com or the USPS app and use the tracking number from your order. If the shipment or fee is unclear, contact USPS through its official support route; a missing item is not proof that no parcel exists.
- If you entered card details: contact your card issuer promptly, ask about replacing the card and disputing unauthorized charges, and watch your statements.
- Report it. Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM), then file at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
- Delete the message.
Reduce the risk of another scam
Do not use the message’s link to check the claim. Open the real service yourself. If you paid or shared account details, start with what to do after a scam. Blocking and reporting can reduce unwanted contact, but they cannot stop every attempt or tell you how the sender found you.
Common USPS impersonation messages
Common scripts claim an incomplete address, a package on hold, a customs problem, or a redelivery fee. Some ask you to reply “Y” or reopen a link. These are examples, not a complete survey of current campaigns. USPS tracking and redelivery are free; open usps.com yourself to verify a shipment instead of following the message’s instructions.
What the link actually does
The link never goes to usps.com. Krebs on Security walked through one of these operations — domains like usps.informedtrck[.]com and usps.trckspost[.]com — and found a pixel-faithful copy of the USPS tracking page, logo and all, claiming a package was “on hold for an invalid recipient address.” Tap “Click update” and the site asks for your address; then come the follow-up fields for personal and payment details. Everything typed was forwarded to the operator through a messaging bot. The “fee” is misdirection — it’s small on purpose. AARP documented a victim charged 99 cents who later discovered a $400 charge: the fee isn’t the theft, the card number is. As the FTC puts it: “If you pay, that money — along with your credit card number, name, address, and anything else you entered — will go straight to the scammer.” And per the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, some links skip the theater entirely and try to install malware. A scam can coincide with a real delivery, so verify the actual shipment independently.
USPS’s own rules settle it in one glance
The Postal Inspection Service’s tracking-text guidance says customers must request tracking with a specific number and those texts do not contain links. Keep that scope: it is not a rule for every USPS email service or every delivery company. An unexpected tracking link or fee request should send you to usps.com or official support independently, not to the message’s payment page.
Why you got it: your number is on a list
A delivery scam can reach you even when you are not expecting a parcel. It does not prove that your account was hacked or show how the sender obtained your number. Do not pay through the text. Use carrier filtering and reporting to reduce unwanted contact, while continuing to verify genuine deliveries through the retailer or postal service independently.
How to report it to USPS specifically
USPS has its own law-enforcement arm for exactly this, and reporting takes two minutes. Email spam@uspis.gov. The Postal Inspection Service asks that you copy the wording of the text into a new email, include your name, and attach a screenshot of the message showing the sender’s phone number and the date it was sent. Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM). Free on every major carrier — it feeds the sender number into carrier-level blocking. File at reportfraud.ftc.gov. FTC reports are what turn one person’s text into a documented campaign. If you lost money, add ic3.gov so the FBI gets the phishing domain and the payment trail. Be clear-eyed about what reporting does: it won’t claw back a charge — that part is your bank’s job, so call them first if you paid. Reporting is how phishing domains get taken down and sender numbers get blocked before the same blast reaches someone’s mother.
● Public service · free steps first
Take the free protection steps first
A suspicious message does not tell us how someone found your details. If you shared personal information, start with the official recovery guidance. You can also freeze your credit for free.
- Freeze your credit — free at all three bureausRestricts access to your credit report for new credit applications. It does not protect existing accounts from misuse.
- Report it and get a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.govThe FTC walks you through exactly what to do next, for free.
Decide what protection you need
Start with the free controls above. Compare what a paid service would add only after deciding which problem remains.
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Frequently asked
I clicked the link in a USPS text — what should I do?
How can I tell a real USPS text from a fake one?
Does USPS charge a redelivery or reshipping fee by text?
I got a text that my USPS parcel is “being cleared” or “awaiting clearance” — is that real?
Why does USPS keep texting me about packages?
I paid the fee on a USPS text — what do I do now?
Does USPS ever text from a regular phone number?
What is spam@uspis.gov and what should I send there?
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Sources
- 01Smishing: Package Tracking Text Scams— U.S. Postal Inspection Service
- 02Think that text message is from USPS? It could be a scam— Federal Trade Commission
- 03Phishers Spoof USPS, 12 Other Natl’ Postal Services— Krebs on Security
- 04Package Delivery Problem? Maybe Not. Americans Are Swamped With Scam Texts— AARP
- 05Experts warn of package delay scams sent by text message— CBS News Chicago
- 06What To Do if You Were Scammed— consumer.ftc.gov
- 07How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams— consumer.ftc.gov
Pass it on
Help protect someone else
If this could have fooled you, it can fool someone you know — a parent, a friend, the family group chat. It's safe to forward, and stands on its own as a record for a bank or the police.