USPS Text Scam: How to Spot It, What to Do If You Clicked, and How to Report It

A text says USPS can’t deliver your package until you fix your address or pay a small redelivery fee. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says real USPS texts don’t include links, so if yours has one, treat it as a scam. Here’s how to spot the fake, what to do if you already clicked or paid, and where to report it.

Does USPS send text messages?

Only when you ask for them. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) says USPS won’t text or email you unless you first request updates using a tracking number. It adds that those messages won’t contain a link.

You would only get real USPS texts if you:

• texted a tracking number to 28777 (2USPS) to use USPS Text Tracking,
• signed up for text updates after tracking a package on the USPS website, or
• turned on package alerts in Informed Delivery, a free USPS service that requires you to sign up and verify your identity.

Even if you signed up, don’t tap links in texts. To check a package, type usps.com into your browser yourself, or look up tracking on the store’s website or the account you ordered from, as the FTC suggests.

Also worth knowing: USPS does not charge a fee for redelivery.

Red flags of a fake USPS text

The wording changes, but the pattern doesn’t. Watch for:

• A text you never asked for. No tracking request from you means no text from USPS.
• Any link at all. Scam links are built to look official: “usps” buried in a longer web address, extra dashes, words or numbers, or an ending other than usps.com. Don’t try to judge the link. If it’s in a “USPS” text, don’t tap it.
• An address problem. For example: “Your package can’t be delivered because the address is incomplete.” USPS lists “there is a problem with your shipping address” and “there is a package waiting for you at the Post Office” among common scam lures. Other versions claim a missed delivery or unpaid postage, the FTC says.
• A small fee. The FTC has described fake USPS sites that ask you to pay “re-delivery fees.” Newer versions claim you owe a customs or tariff charge before delivery, the FCC warns.
• Pressure to act now. Say, a warning that your package goes back unless you respond today. The FCC calls pressure to act quickly a red flag.
• Requests for sensitive information. USPIS says these scammers want card numbers, PINs, usernames and passwords, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth.
• A request to reply. Some texts ask you to reply “Y” or tap a button. The FCC’s advice is not to reply at all, not even “Y” or “N.”

What to do now: find your situation

What happened	What to do first
You got the text but didn’t tap anything	Don’t reply. Report it, then delete it.
You tapped the link but didn’t type anything	Close the page, update your phone, and report the text.
You entered a card number or paid a “fee”	Call your card issuer using the number on the back of your card.
You entered your Social Security number, date of birth, or a password	Follow IdentityTheft.gov’s steps and freeze your credit.
You installed something or let someone into your phone	Stop logging into accounts on that phone, then update and scan it.

The scam recovery checklist can turn your answers into a step-by-step list.

If you didn’t tap the link

1. Don’t reply or tap anything. The FTC’s advice for unexpected texts is simple: don’t reply, and never click links.
2. Report it. See “How to report a USPS text scam,” below.
3. Delete it. USPIS lists deleting these texts among its safety tips.
4. Check real deliveries the safe way: on usps.com or with the seller.

If you tapped the link but didn’t enter anything

A scam link can take you to a fake site that looks real, or try to install harmful software, USPIS warns. If the page opened but you didn’t type anything:

1. Close the page and don’t go back.
2. Update your phone and apps. Updates often include critical security patches, the FTC says.
3. Run a security scan if you have security software, and delete anything it flags (FTC).
4. Watch for warning signs the FTC links to malware: lots of pop-up ads, a browser that sends you to sites you didn’t choose, or messages you didn’t write going out from your accounts.
5. Report the text anyway. USPIS asks you to say whether you clicked.

Downloaded a file or installed an app? Skip to “If you installed something,” below.

If you entered your card number or paid a “fee”

The scammer now has your card number and may try to use it. Move fast:

1. Call your card issuer. Use the number on the back of your card or your bank’s app, never a number from a text. Ask them to cancel the card and send a new one (IdentityTheft.gov). Tell them the payment went to a scammer and ask for a refund, as the FTC advises.
2. Mention any code you typed. If the fake page asked for a verification code your bank sent you, tell the bank. The FTC says anyone who asks for that code is a scammer.
3. Check every transaction. Report charges you don’t recognize to the fraud department, and update automatic payments when the new card arrives.
4. Dispute in writing if needed. For a credit card, the FTC says your letter should reach the issuer’s billing-inquiries address within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent to you.

If you entered your Social Security number, date of birth, or a password

USPIS warns that your Social Security number and other personal details can be used to steal your money or open accounts in your name.

1. Has anyone used your information? If yes, report it at IdentityTheft.gov to get a personal recovery plan.
2. If not, or you’re not sure, follow IdentityTheft.gov’s steps for information that was lost or stolen. They start with checking your credit reports, which you can do for free every week at AnnualCreditReport.com.
3. Freeze your credit with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The FTC says a freeze is free and doesn’t affect your credit score. While it’s on, nobody can open new credit in your name, including you. Step by step: How to freeze your credit.
4. If you gave your Social Security number, IdentityTheft.gov also suggests checking your work history in a my Social Security account and filing your taxes early. Full steps: I gave a scammer my Social Security number.
5. If you typed a password, change it, plus anywhere else you use it, and turn on two-factor authentication.

If you installed something or let someone into your phone

If a link got you to download something, or someone talked you into giving them access to your phone, the FTC recommends:

1. Stop logging into accounts on that device, especially banking and shopping, until it’s cleaned up (FTC).
2. Update your security software, run a scan, and delete anything it flags (FTC).
3. Change your passwords and turn on two-factor authentication.
4. Check your bank and card accounts for charges or changes you don’t recognize.

Can I get my money back?

It depends on how you paid and how fast you report it.

You usually still have your card; the scammer has the number. For that case, the FTC explains the federal limits this way:

Card type	If your number was used but the card wasn’t lost or stolen
Credit card	You aren’t responsible for charges you didn’t authorize.
Debit card	You aren’t responsible for transactions you didn’t authorize if you report within 60 calendar days after your statement is sent to you.

Less certain: the small “fee” you paid yourself. Whether you get it back is up to your card issuer, so report it right away and ask. With a debit card, timing matters, so don’t wait for your statement.

If you send a written credit card dispute, the FTC says the issuer must acknowledge it within 30 days and resolve it within 90 days.

How to report a USPS text scam

Reporting helps investigators and phone companies spot and block these texts.

1. Email USPIS at spam@uspis.gov. USPIS asks you to:

   • copy the words of the text into a new email, without clicking the link;
   • include your name;
   • attach a screenshot showing the sender’s phone number and the date it was sent; and
   • say whether you clicked the link, lost money, shared personal information, or noticed any effect on your credit.

   USPIS says it will contact you if it needs more information.

2. Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM). The FTC says this helps your wireless provider spot and block similar messages.

3. Use your messaging app’s “report junk” or spam option.

4. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, especially if you lost money or shared information. Reports go into the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure database that law enforcement uses to spot patterns and build cases.

5. You can also file with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which USPIS lists as another place to report.

The same trick: “unpaid toll” texts

Fake toll bills follow the same playbook: the text says you owe money for unpaid tolls and links to a page asking for your bank or card details (FTC). The FBI has warned that these links are made to imitate your state’s toll service name. Some texts threaten late fees or a suspended vehicle registration. In a May 2026 alert, the FTC said reports of government imposter scams rose 40% in 2025, “thanks in part to messages about overdue tolls” (FTC).

The FCC notes that toll operators typically don’t use texts to collect on overdue accounts. To check, contact your toll agency using a website or phone number you know is real. Forward the text to 7726, and report it to IC3 with the phone number and website from the text, as the FBI asks. If you paid, follow the card steps above.

Watch for the follow-up scam

Scammers use lists of people who have already been scammed, the FTC warns. Be ready for:

• “Recovery” offers. Someone promises to get your money back for a fee. The FTC says government agencies and legitimate organizations never ask for money to help you get a refund.
• Fake Postal Inspectors. USPS warns that impostors may call pretending to be Postal Inspectors and threaten arrest.
• Fake “fraud department” calls. A caller may know the card number you typed. Hang up and call the number on the back of your card. Never share a verification code.
• Anyone telling you to move money to “protect it.” IdentityTheft.gov warns that the FTC will never threaten you or tell you to transfer your money to protect it.

What varies

• Your card issuer. Refund decisions and fraud procedures differ by issuer. Credit and debit cards also follow different federal rules.
• Your phone carrier. The FCC says several mobile providers let you block senders by forwarding texts to 7726, and suggests checking with your provider about your options.
• Your state’s toll agency. Toll programs differ by state. Check with the agency for the roads you actually used.
• What you shared. A card can be canceled and replaced. In most cases, you can’t get a new Social Security number without evidence that someone is misusing yours, IdentityTheft.gov explains.
• What you signed up for. With USPS Text Tracking or Informed Delivery alerts, some USPS texts are real. Still check on usps.com.