How can I tell if a delivery text message is a scam?

Do not use a delivery text's payment link; verify the shipment in the retailer or carrier's official app instead.

Treat any unexpected delivery text that demands a fee or sends you to a payment page as a scam. Do not tap its link. Open the retailer or carrier’s official app or website yourself and check the order there.

This matters because “smishing”—phishing by SMS—uses huge batches of believable “parcel held” messages. The requested redelivery fee may be small, but the real goal is often to capture card details, passwords, or both.1. Verify through a separate route.

Open the store app you already use, type the carrier’s known address yourself, or use the tracking number from the original order email. If no delayed parcel appears there, the text is not trustworthy.2. Inspect the sender and destination.

Random mobile numbers, strange email-to-text senders, and lookalike domains such as “fedex-track.icu” are warning signs. A familiar logo on the linked page proves nothing because images are easy to copy.3. Notice manufactured pressure.

Claims such as “pay within 24 hours” or “your parcel will be destroyed” are designed to stop you from checking. Delivery companies do not need threats to resolve a routine address problem.4. Never enter payment details from the text.

Genuine charges should be visible in the carrier or retailer’s official account. The same rule applies to requests for a password, Social Security number, or one-time security code.5. Report and delete it.

Forward the message to 7726 (SPAM), then report the attempted fraud at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Blocking the number may help locally, though scammers rotate senders.6. If you already tapped: close the page if you entered nothing.

If you downloaded a file, run a full malware scan. If you supplied card or login information, contact the bank or service through its official channel immediately.Pro tip: rely on the official app’s tracking screen, not a text link. That one habit removes the scammer’s fake page from the decision.