USPS Text Scam: Does USPS Text You, and How to Spot Fakes

USPS doesn't text you out of the blue. According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, USPS only sends texts or emails after you've requested them with a tracking number, and those messages won't contain a link. So an unexpected text with a link that asks you to pay a fee, confirm your address or reschedule a delivery is a USPS text scam. Don't tap it: check your tracking number on usps.com yourself and forward the text to 7726.

These texts copy the look of real shipping updates, and since most of us are waiting on some package, they often feel plausible. The goal is your card number, your personal details or both. At TrustCamera we build a camera app that gives photos a check code when they're taken, so we spend a lot of time on how scammers fake who a message comes from. Below: what real USPS texts look like, the red flags, safe tracking checks, what to do if you clicked and how to report it.

Does USPS text you? How real USPS texts work

Only if you asked for it. USPS Text Tracking starts when you text a tracking number to 28777 (2USPS), or when you request text updates on usps.com and confirm by replying YES. The updates begin with "USPS," include your tracking number and a short status, and end with "Reply STOP to cancel." There's nothing to click and nothing to pay.

That's how the USPS Text Tracking FAQ describes the service. Its sample messages show "USPS," the tracking number and a status such as "Available for Pickup" with a time and a town, or "Expected Delivery by" with a date. None of them contain a link. You can text STOP to 28777 at any time to end all tracking texts, or add a tracking number to stop updates for just that package.

In our view, the link is a stronger tell than the sender. A message can be made to look official, but a real Text Tracking update never needs you to open a web page. If a text about your package includes a link, go around it.

Package delivery scam texts: what the fake messages say

The wording changes, the script doesn't. In an April 2025 consumer alert, the FTC describes texts that claim to come from USPS, FedEx or DHL. Some confirm an order or say a package is out for delivery. Others claim a problem: unpaid postage, a missed delivery or shipping preferences you need to update. According to the FTC, the link leads to a look-alike of a real website that asks for personal or financial information, and whatever you pay or type in goes straight to the scammer.

The amount these texts ask for is often small, which makes paying feel harmless. In our view, the fee is just the bait. What the scammer really wants is your card number, name and address, which can be used again long after the fake fee is forgotten.

The page behind the link is a copy of a real site, sometimes a convincing one. Our guide on how to tell if a website is legit shows the checks that expose a fake page, from the web address to the payment options. The simplest check, though, is never to arrive there through a text in the first place.

How to know if a USPS text is a scam: six red flags

You don't need to open the link to judge a delivery text. These signs give most fakes away, and a single one is enough to stop:

• You never signed up: USPS only texts after you request tracking updates.
• There's a link: Real USPS Text Tracking messages don't include one.
• It asks for money: a redelivery fee, unpaid postage or some other charge.
• It asks for data: your address, card number or a login.
• It's urgent: the package will supposedly be returned unless you act now.
• The details don't fit: you aren't expecting anything, or the tracking number isn't in any of your order emails.

The FTC's advice on spam text messages comes down to the same point. If a text you weren't expecting asks for personal or financial information, don't click any links. Legitimate companies won't ask for information about your account by text, the agency says. If you think the message might be real, contact the company through a phone number or website you know is real, not the information in the text.

How to check a USPS tracking number safely

Whatever the text says, you can check your package without it. It takes about as long as tapping the link and works for every version of this scam:

1. Don't tap the link: Not even to "just look." Don't reply to the text either.
2. Find your own tracking number: It's in the shipping confirmation from the store or in your account on the retailer's site. The FTC recommends starting there.
3. Type the address yourself: Open your browser, type usps.com and enter the number in USPS Tracking, or use the retailer's own tracking page.
4. Compare: If official tracking shows no fee, no address problem and no failed delivery, treat the text as fake.
5. Want real texts? Sign up yourself by texting your tracking number to 28777, so you know which messages you asked for.

If tracking doesn't find your number yet, the store may simply not have handed the package over. Ask the store, not a contact from the text. And if a legitimate package does turn up damaged, our guide on what to do when a package arrived damaged covers documenting it and filing a claim.

Clicked the link in a USPS text scam? What to do now

What you need to do depends on how far you got. Opening and reading the text is usually not the problem in our view. The risk comes from what you type into the fake page or install on your phone.

These steps follow the FTC's advice for people who paid or gave information to a scammer. If you paid by credit or debit card, report it to the card issuer or bank immediately. If someone used your Social Security number, IdentityTheft.gov gives you a recovery plan; if it hasn't been used or you're not sure, the FTC points you to IdentityTheft.gov/databreach. After giving a scammer access to your phone, the agency suggests updating your security software, running a scan, deleting anything it flags and then changing your passwords.

On Android, don't install anything a text link offers you, whether it calls itself a tracking app or a security update. If you paid on a fake page and want to push for your money back, our guide on how to report a fake website walks you through the next steps.

How to report a USPS text scam

Report the text even if you didn't click. The Postal Inspection Service asks you to forward USPS scam texts to 7726 and to email [email protected] with a screenshot that shows the sender's number and the date, along with the text of the message. Don't tap the link while you do it. For scam texts that impersonate other companies, USPIS points to 7726, the FTC and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Forwarding to 7726 (SPAM) sends the message to your wireless provider, which can use it to spot and block similar texts, as the FTC explains in its spam text guide above. The FTC also recommends using the report junk or spam option in your messaging app, if it has one. If you lost money or gave out personal information, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov as well, and keep screenshots of the text, the fake page and your payment.

The same trick with other carriers and online orders

USPS isn't the only name on these texts. The FTC's alert mentions FedEx and DHL too, and the same rule applies to every carrier: go to its site yourself and enter the tracking number from your order confirmation. A real problem with a delivery should show up there.

Delivery tricks also turn up in marketplace deals. Our guide to Facebook Marketplace seller scams covers buyers who send their own prepaid labels or change the shipping address at the last minute, and the safest way to pay on Facebook Marketplace compares which payment options actually protect you. Shopping from a store you don't know? It's worth checking how to tell if something is counterfeit before you order.

Frequently asked questions about USPS text scams

Does USPS ever text you?

Only if you signed up. USPS Text Tracking sends updates after you text a tracking number to 28777 (2USPS) or request text updates on usps.com and confirm with YES. According to the Postal Inspection Service, USPS won't text or email you without such a request, and its messages won't contain a link.

What does a real USPS text look like?

USPS Text Tracking runs on the short code 28777, the number you text to sign up or to stop updates. A real update starts with "USPS" and your tracking number. Then comes a plain status, such as an expected delivery date or "Available for Pickup," and the line "Reply STOP to cancel." There's no link and no request for payment or personal details.

Will USPS text me about a delivery problem or a fee?

Not with a link or a payment request. A text that claims a delivery problem and asks you to pay or confirm your address through a link fits the pattern the FTC and the Postal Inspection Service warn about. Check the tracking number on usps.com yourself. If something is really wrong with the delivery, you'll see it there.

What happens if I clicked a link in a fake USPS text?

Clicking alone usually just opens a fake page, in our view. The risk comes from what you type in or install. If you entered card details, call your card issuer right away. Change any password you entered, and if you gave out your Social Security number, follow the steps at IdentityTheft.gov/databreach. If you installed something, update your security software and run a scan.

How do I report a fake USPS text?

Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM), then email [email protected] with a screenshot that shows the sender's number and the date, plus the message text. You can also report it as junk in your messaging app and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, especially if you lost money or shared personal information.

I got a package I didn't order. Is that a scam too?

It could be a brushing scam. According to an FTC alert from August 2026, scammers send cheap, random items so they can post fake reviews in your name, and a QR code inside may lead to a phishing site. You don't have to pay for or return things you didn't order, the FTC says. Don't scan the code, and change your shopping account passwords.

Conclusion: never fix a delivery problem through a text link

A USPS text scam only works if you act on the message itself: tap the link, pay the small fee, type in your card. Real USPS texts come only after you sign up, and they never need a link. Whatever a delivery text claims, check the tracking number yourself on usps.com or the retailer's site, and you sidestep every version of the trick.

If something already went wrong, move fast. Call your card issuer, change passwords, scan your phone if you installed anything, then forward the text to 7726 and report it to USPIS and the FTC.