Got a USPS Redelivery Fee Text? It's a Scam. Here's How It Works
The 'USPS: your package could not be delivered' text with a small redelivery fee is a phishing scam. What the message looks like, what happens if you click, and how to check the number that sent it.
If you received a text claiming a USPS package could not be delivered and asking for a small redelivery fee, it is a scam. USPS does not send texts asking for payment, and it does not text you at all unless you signed up for tracking alerts on a specific package. The message is a phishing template designed to harvest your card details, and the fee is bait: the real theft happens after you type your card number into the fake USPS page.
What the text looks like
The wording rotates, but the skeleton is always the same: a package is stuck, a tiny fee or address confirmation unblocks it, and a link resolves it. Typical versions read like 'USPS: your parcel could not be delivered due to an incomplete address. Confirm your details to schedule redelivery' followed by a link that looks postal but is not usps.com. The senders are usually ordinary mobile numbers, foreign numbers, or email addresses, because the real USPS shortcode never asks for money.
How to tell real USPS messages from fakes
USPS never asks for money by text
No redelivery fees, no customs fees, no address-confirmation charges. Ever.
Check the link before anything else
Real tracking lives on usps.com. Any dash-heavy or foreign domain is a fake.
Check the sender's number
A reverse lookup on the sending number usually shows a VoIP line or a number already flagged by others.
Track packages yourself
If you are actually expecting something, type usps.com into your browser and use your real tracking number.
What to do if you already clicked
If you entered card details, call your bank and have the card reissued now; that is faster than disputing charges later. If you entered your address only, no immediate harm is done, but expect follow-up attempts. Report the text by forwarding it to 7726 (SPAM), which works on all major US carriers, and delete it. If the same number keeps texting, check it and block it.
Run a private check on any phone number
Get a 60 second report with possible owner, line type, location signals, and risk indicators. The phone owner is not notified.
Run a checkFrequently asked questions
Does USPS ever send text messages?
Only if you signed up for tracking alerts on a specific package, and those messages never ask for payment or personal information. An unsolicited USPS text about a fee is always a scam.
I clicked the link but did not enter anything. Am I safe?
Mostly yes. Clicking alone rarely installs anything on a modern phone, but it confirms your number is active. Expect more attempts, and do not click the next one.
Can I find out who sent the fake USPS text?
You can check the sending number with a reverse phone lookup. It typically shows a VoIP or rotating campaign number, and community reports often confirm the same scam text within days of a wave starting.
Related articles
Failed Delivery Text Scam: Fake FedEx and UPS Messages (2026)
Texts about a failed FedEx or UPS delivery attempt lead to fake schedule-redelivery pages that steal card details. The template, the psychology, and how to check the number that sent it.
Unpaid Toll Text Scam: E-ZPass and Toll Road Texts Explained
Texts about a small unpaid toll balance impersonate E-ZPass, SunPass, and state toll agencies. How the scam works, why you got it with no toll roads nearby, and how to check the sender.
Is This Phone Number a Scam? How to Tell in 60 Seconds
The exact signals that flag a phone number as a scam: line type, fraud score, country mismatch, and known scam reports. With a 60 second check that catches most setups.
Phone Scams in 2026: The 15 Most Common Scams
A complete guide to the most common phone scams in 2026. IRS impersonation, package delivery, OTP theft, AI voice clone scams, and how to verify the caller in under 60 seconds.
Check the number. Know more.
Run a private 60 second report. The phone owner will not be notified.
Start your check