Texts saying a USPS delivery failed or a package needs your action. What USPS says it will and won’t text you, how to check a delivery safely, and how to report the message.
What the text usually says
The message says a package couldn’t be delivered, or is being held, and that something is needed from you: confirm an address, pay a small redelivery fee, update your details. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service — the Postal Service’s own law-enforcement arm — describes them as unsolicited texts “with an unfamiliar or strange web link that indicates a USPS delivery requires a response from you.”
It works because nearly everyone is expecting something. The link leads to a page dressed up as USPS that asks for a card number to cover the fee, and often a name, address and date of birth along the way. The fee is kept small on purpose, so paying it feels like less trouble than checking. The card details are what the page is really after.
What USPS says it won’t do
USPS is specific about when it texts: “USPS will not send customers text messages or e-mails without a customer first requesting the service with a tracking number, and it will NOT contain a link.” If you never signed up for text updates on a particular package, a USPS text about it didn’t come from USPS.
It adds that “USPS does not charge for these services!” The text-tracking service is free, so a tracking text that asks for money is a warning sign on its own.
How to check
Don’t tap the link. The Inspection Service’s advice is to “visit USPS.com from your mobile device or computer for tracking,” typed in yourself. If the sender of the package gave you a tracking number, enter it there. A real problem with a delivery shows up in the tracking history, not only in a text.
If you already opened the link and typed anything in — even without pressing submit, the Inspection Service says — “please notify your financial institution.”
How to report it
The Inspection Service asks for USPS-related texts to be reported to spam@uspis.gov. Without tapping the link, copy the body of the text into a new email, include your name, and attach a screenshot that shows the sender’s number and the date it arrived.
It also says to forward the text itself to 7726 (SPAM), which helps carriers report the number. The FTC takes reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
If you already tapped the link or paid
Who to call depends on how the money left, and the sooner the better. Here is who to call for each way of paying.
Got one and not sure?
Paste it into Second Look, or text it over, and Rowan will tell you in plain English what it sees. Free, and no account.
Sources
What USPS says is quoted from its own pages. Rowan isn’t affiliated with USPS.
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service: Smishing — package tracking text scams, checked on September 26, 2026
- FTC: How to recognize and report spam text messages, checked on September 26, 2026