Undelivered Package Fee Smishing Scam on SMS
Bulk text blasts claiming a package could not be delivered due to an unpaid fee direct recipients to phishing pages designed purely to harvest card data.
Part of: Undelivered Package Fee Smishing Scam
Last reviewed: 5 July 2026
This scam is built entirely around SMS because a short, generic 'delivery failed' text can be sent to enormous numbers of phone numbers at once and still land convincingly on the fraction of recipients who happen to be expecting a real parcel.
How this scam works on SMS
A text message states that a package could not be delivered because of a small unpaid fee, redelivery charge, or address confirmation requirement, with a link to 'resolve' the issue. The link opens a phishing page styled like a courier's website, asking for a small payment plus full card details and sometimes a one-time passcode sent to the victim's phone, which the scammers use to complete a separate, larger fraudulent transaction in real time. Because the message never names a specific courier consistently — or impersonates whichever courier is most commonly used in the recipient's region — it can be mass-sent without needing to match any real shipment. Victims who don't have a package expected usually ignore it, but the scam is designed to succeed on volume, reaching enough people who are mid-way through an actual delivery to make the campaign profitable.
Common red flags
- Text about a 'failed delivery' or 'unpaid fee' from a number that isn't a recognized courier shortcode
- Link leads to a generic or misspelled domain rather than the courier's verified website
- Request for a one-time passcode or verification code sent to your phone as part of 'confirming' the fee
- No specific tracking number, or a tracking number that doesn't match any real shipment you're expecting
- Urgent language claiming the package will be returned or discarded within a short deadline
- Payment page requests card details for an unusually small, easy-to-approve amount
How to protect yourself
- Never click links in unsolicited delivery fee text messages
- Check delivery status only through the courier's official app or website using your own tracking number
- Never share a one-time passcode with anyone, including a website you were directed to by text
- Forward suspicious texts to 7726 (SPAM) to help your carrier flag and block the sender
- If you entered card details, contact your bank immediately to freeze the card and monitor for fraud
How to report it
- Forward the smishing text to 7726 (SPAM)
- Report the message to the courier being impersonated through their official fraud reporting channel
- File a complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or your country's equivalent reporting body
- Report compromised card or account details to your bank immediately
Frequently asked questions
Why do these texts ask for a one-time passcode?
Scammers use the passcode you receive to authorize a separate transaction or account change in real time, effectively using your own verification code against you — never share it, even on a page that looks legitimate.
How can I tell a real delivery fee notice from a fake one?
Legitimate couriers direct you to check and pay any fee through their own app or website using a tracking number you can verify yourself, not through a link in an unsolicited text.