Scams explained
What is the package delivery text scam?
A text says a package could not be delivered and asks you to confirm your address, reschedule, or pay a small redelivery fee through a link. The message uses the name of the Postal Service, UPS, FedEx or another carrier. The link leads to a fake page that collects card numbers and personal details.
Drawn from 134 news stories in the Elderus archive. Last updated October 17, 2026.
If a message like this reached you, you were right to stop and look it up. These are professional operations, and they reach careful people every day.
What our news archive shows
134 news stories in the Elderus archive mention the package delivery text scam, the earliest from February 2024. Together they name 23 states. The places named most often: Illinois (5), Washington (4), Virginia (4), New York (4) and California (3).
What people were asked to hand over
Across the 23 stories with this scam in the headline:
Stories added each month in 2026
The busiest month so far this year was June 2026, with 4 stories.
What does the package delivery text scam look like?
- A text about a package you may or may not be expecting, often during the holidays or after a big online sale.
- Words like "failed delivery," "address incomplete" or "package on hold."
- A request to reply "Y" before the link works, or a link to a website that is not usps.com, ups.com or fedex.com.
- A small fee to release or redeliver the package.
How does the package delivery text scam work?
- The text goes out to large numbers of people. Many of them really are waiting for a package, so the message lands at the right moment.
- Asking you to reply "Y" is a known trick: some phones do not make links clickable in texts from unknown numbers until you reply.
- The fake page asks for your address, then a card number for a small fee. Those details go to the criminals.
How it has shown up in the news
A text said a UPS delivery attempt had failed and asked the reader to reply "Y," which makes the link in the message clickable.
Read the story →Florida reporting relayed the Postal Service's warning that USPS does not text people asking for an address to deliver a package.
Read the story →After a major online sale, fake delivery texts and emails reached shoppers who were expecting packages, asking for a fee or a click to fix a delivery problem.
Read the story →What should I do if I get one?
- Check a delivery by typing the carrier's website yourself and entering the tracking number from your order confirmation.
- If you entered a card number, call the bank or card company using the number on the back of the card.
- If you entered your Social Security number or other ID, IdentityTheft.gov walks through the next steps.
Call the bank or card company first, using the number on the back of your card. The sooner they hear, the more they can stop. Then report it. Step-by-step help if you were scammed →
Not sure whether a message is a scam? Paste it into the Scam Checker →
Who do I report it to?
Your state's Adult Protective Services and attorney general take reports too. Find the numbers for Illinois, Washington, Virginia, New York, or any state.
Common questions
Does the Postal Service text about deliveries?
Only if you signed up for tracking texts and gave it a tracking number. Postal inspectors have said USPS will not text you asking for your address in order to deliver a package.
Why do these texts show up around the holidays?
More people are expecting deliveries, so a text about a package is more likely to match something real. Reports in our archive cluster around holiday shopping and large online sales.
Sources
- BBB warns of fake delivery text scams as holiday packages surge | WRIC ABC 8News wric.com · December 2025
- Experts warn of package delay scams sent by text message cbsnews.com · December 2025
- Delivery Texts: Scam or Legit? consumerreports.org · December 2025
- No, the Post Office won’t text for your address for a delivery. USPS warns about rising scams jacksonville.com · June 2025
- Got a suspicious UPS text? Don't reply - it might be a scam. Here's how to tell zdnet.com · December 2025
How we count
Elderus collects news reports about fraud against older adults every day. A story counts toward this page when its headline or summary describes the package delivery text scam. Copies of one story syndicated to several outlets count once, and stories that fail our quality checks (no usable summary, video transcripts, coverage outside the U.S.) are left out. States are the ones named in each story's headline and summary. Payment methods come from the stories with the scam in the headline. Monthly counts begin in January 2026 and use the date each story entered our archive. These figures describe news coverage. They do not measure how often the scam happens, since most scams are never reported in the news.