Did you get a text saying your package couldn’t be delivered — and is it a scam?

Package and delivery scams spike from early October through January as real tracking messages camouflage fake ones. A text from a random number asking you to confirm an address and pay a small redelivery fee is a classic imposter scam. Never tap the link or pay — check tracking yourself on the carrier’s real site.

You’re actually waiting for a package, a text says delivery failed, and it asks you to confirm your address and pay a tiny redelivery fee. Short answer: Treat it as a scam until you have proved otherwise — because this exact message is one of the most common tricks going right now. Package and delivery scams spike from early October through January, as early holiday sales begin, because a flood of real tracking messages gives the fake ones perfect camouflage.

Imposter scams are reported as the number one fraud category, and this is their favourite costume. The warning signs are consistent: the text comes from a random number or a personal-looking email address, it pressures you to act fast, its link leads to a domain that is almost — but not quite — usps.com or the real carrier’s site, and it asks for a card to cover a small fee. USPS only sends tracking texts you signed up for, and it does not send links asking you to pay or confirm your details this way.1.

Do not tap the link, and do not pay any redelivery fee. No legitimate carrier collects a surprise fee by text to release a parcel you already paid to ship.2. Go to the carrier yourself.

Type the carrier’s real website address in your browser, or use the tracking number from your original order email — never the number or link inside the suspicious text.3. Delete it and report it as junk. Most phones offer a Report Junk option when you delete a message from an unknown sender.

It takes seconds and helps block the next one.4. If you already entered a card, act now. Call your bank using the number printed on the card itself — not any number in the text — and ask them to watch or replace the card.Pro tip: The tiny fee is the trap, not the prize.

Scammers want your card number, and a small charge is simply the excuse that makes handing it over feel harmless.Ad’s take: If a delivery text wants your card, it is not a delivery text — the real carrier already got paid when you placed your order.