Delivery & Shipping Scams
Identify fake USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL delivery notifications designed to steal your information.
What is Delivery & Shipping?
Delivery scams exploit the surge in online shopping by sending fake delivery notifications via text or email. These messages claim a package couldn't be delivered and ask you to click a link to reschedule, pay a small fee, or update your address. The links lead to phishing sites.
With billions of packages shipped annually, the odds of these messages reaching someone who is actually expecting a delivery are high. The scammers don't need to know anything about you — they send millions of messages and profit from the small percentage who fall for it.
These scams are particularly effective because they combine urgency (your package is waiting) with a low-cost request ($1.99 redelivery fee) that seems harmless but actually captures full credit card details.
How to Identify This Scam
- 1Text message claiming delivery failed with a link to reschedule
- 2Request for payment to redeliver or release a package from customs
- 3The tracking number doesn't work on the carrier's official website
- 4Sender number or email doesn't match the carrier's official communications
- 5You're not expecting any deliveries
- 6Link URL doesn't match the carrier's domain (e.g., "usps-tracking-update.com")
Real Examples (Anonymized)
A text from "USPS" says your package is being held at the facility due to an incomplete address. Click a link to update your address and pay a $1.99 redelivery fee.
An email from "DHL Express" says a package from overseas requires a customs payment of $35. The email includes DHL branding and a payment link.
What to Do If You Receive One
- Check deliveries directly on the carrier's official website using your real tracking number
- Don't click links in delivery notifications — go to the website directly
- Remember: USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL don't ask for payment via text links
- Report suspicious delivery texts to 7726 (SPAM) in the US
- Delete the message and block the sender