Undelivered Package Fee Smishing Scam Impersonating the USPS Brand
The USPS brand is one of the most frequently impersonated in undelivered package fee smishing texts because nearly every US household regularly expects mail or parcels from it.
Part of: Undelivered Package Fee Smishing Scam
Last reviewed: 5 July 2026
USPS touches nearly every household in the United States, and its genuine notices, including physical slips for held mail, are familiar to most Americans. Scammers impersonate the brand precisely because almost any recipient might plausibly be expecting something: a text styled like a USPS notification claims a package is held over an incomplete address or unpaid fee, linking to a page mimicking the real tracking site, complete with a plausible-looking fake tracking number. The page harvests card details and sometimes identity documents or a Social Security number. The distinction that matters most: USPS does not send texts demanding fees through links, and it never initiates tracking texts you did not sign up for.
How this scam works on the USPS brand
A text message formatted to resemble a USPS delivery notification claims a package could not be delivered due to an incomplete address or unpaid fee, with a link styled after USPS's real tracking site. The page requests a small redelivery fee along with full card information, and some versions ask the victim to 'confirm identity' with additional personal details like a Social Security number or driver's license photo. Because USPS does send legitimate physical delivery notices for held mail, some victims mistake the fake text for a normal extension of a process they've seen before, especially since the scam text often includes a plausible-looking (but fake) tracking number format. Once payment or personal information is submitted, the scammers either use the card details for further fraud or use the personal information for identity theft.
Common red flags
- Text claims to be from USPS but the link domain does not end in the real usps.com address
- Request for a small redelivery or address-correction fee via a text link
- Request for personal identification details beyond what a delivery fee would ever require
- Tracking number in the text does not match any real USPS tracking number format or shipment
- Urgent threat that the package will be returned to sender within a short deadline
How to protect yourself
- Check package status only directly on usps.com or the official USPS mobile app
- Never provide identification documents or a Social Security number in response to a delivery text
- Forward the suspicious text to 7726 (SPAM) and to USPS's own fraud reporting address
- Contact your local post office directly if you're unsure whether a fee is genuinely owed
- Freeze your card and monitor statements if you already entered payment details
How to report it
- Report the text to USPS's Postal Inspection Service via their official phishing reporting page
- Forward the smishing message to 7726 (SPAM)
- File a complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
- Report identity theft concerns to identitytheft.gov if personal documents were submitted
Frequently asked questions
Does USPS ever send physical held-mail notices that look similar to this scam text?
USPS does have legitimate processes for held mail and redelivery, but these are handled through official mailed notices or your verified USPS.com account, not through an unsolicited text demanding immediate payment. If a text claims to be a digital version of a physical notice you never received, treat it as suspicious.
What's the difference between USPS Informed Delivery and this scam text?
Informed Delivery is a real, opt-in USPS service that emails you scanned images of mail arriving that day, accessed only through your verified USPS.com account — it never asks for payment via text link. A text claiming to be from USPS asking for a fee is not part of this legitimate service.
I gave the fake USPS site my driver's license photo — how serious is that?
This is more serious than a simple payment scam, since a photo ID can be used for broader identity theft beyond the immediate fee. Report it at identitytheft.gov, monitor your credit reports, and consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with the major credit bureaus.
Does USPS text customers about redelivery fees?
USPS's real delivery issue notifications direct customers to check status through its official website or app rather than demanding immediate payment through a text link, so any such request should be treated as suspicious.
What if I already gave my address or ID details to a fake USPS text?
Report it at identitytheft.gov and monitor your credit and accounts closely, since personal identification details can be used for broader identity theft beyond the immediate scam.