USPS scam texts: How to spot fake messages and what to do

If you’re expecting a delivery, it’s easy to miss or ignore the warning signs of a USPS text scam. These deceptive schemes take lots of forms — like claiming you have a package waiting or suggesting you need to update your address — all of which aim to get you to drop your defenses and click a suspicious link to make a payment or provide sensitive information.

However, with a good understanding of how USPS text scams work, what they look like, and what you can do to protect yourself, you’ll be better equipped to keep your money and your identity safe.

How do USPS text scams work?

USPS text scams involve a scammer sending a message claiming to be from the United States Postal Service and suggesting there’s a problem with your delivery. The message will create a sense of urgency, trying to scare you into resolving the made-up problem by clicking a link to pay a delivery fee, update your delivery address, track your parcel, or stop your account from being suspended.

When you follow the link, you’ll be directed to a fake USPS website that looks like the real one. There, you’ll likely be prompted to enter sensitive or personally identifiable information (PII) such as your USPS password, credit card details, or Social Security number. The scammer can sell your information on the dark web, use it to commit fraud, or combine it with other information to steal your identity. Alternatively, you might be encouraged to make a direct payment to avoid your delivery being “canceled.”

Fake USPS texts use social engineering tactics to get you to fall for the scam, including:

• Pretexting: Scammers often create fake scenarios, or pretexts, that make their scam more believable. In USPS scam texts, the pretext is often that there’s a problem with a delivery, which can be particularly convincing if you’re actually expecting something in the mail.
• Spoofing: Scammers can “spoof” their phone number, routing texts through another number to evade detection or masking their phone ID to make it look like a legitimate USPS number. This is a common approach used in spam texts and makes it difficult to tell who’s actually messaged you.

How to spot a fake USPS text message

USPS scam texts often share common characteristics that give them away — these are also typical of other types of smishing (SMS phishing) attacks. Most notably, USPS text scams typically include a link to a fake website, but it can be difficult to tell if it's fake before clicking. Other red flags include poor grammar, an undue sense of urgency, a request for payment, and a lack of specific information.

Here’s some more detail on the key warning signs that can help you spot fake text messages:

• Unexpected messages: Receiving a text from USPS when you’re not expecting a delivery is the most obvious warning sign that you’re being targeted by a scam. Ignore unsolicited or unexpected USPS texts until you can verify if someone has sent you a surprise parcel.
• Poor grammar and spelling: Companies like USPS have strict procedures to ensure their texts and other communications are free from errors. Any spelling and grammar mistakes in a text from USPS are a strong indicator that it’s part of a scam.
• Urgent tone: Scam texts often create urgency to make you feel like you need to take action immediately, leaving no time for hesitation or second thoughts. Look out for dramatic claims that your account will be deleted or your parcel returned to the sender if you don’t do what the text asks.
• Links: Like most other phishing schemes, USPS text scams often rely on you clicking a link so that you can be tricked into sharing sensitive information or making a payment on a fake website. Real texts from USPS will never contain a link, so this is a clear sign of a scam.
• Demand for fees: USPS doesn’t request fees from the recipient of a delivery or charge for redelivery, so any text demanding payment and citing one of these reasons is a scam.
• No tracking number: Legitimate messages from USPS will always include a reference to your parcel’s tracking number. A text without a tracking number, or a tracking number that doesn’t return accurate information when you enter it on USPS’ tracking tool, is a sign that you’re being targeted by a scam.

The tips above can help you spot scam texts, but messages from sophisticated scammers can still be hard to identify. Get Norton 360 with LifeLock for powerful all-in-one scam, virus, and identity theft protection, including access to the AI-powered Genie tool that can tell you how likely a text message is to be a scam.

Tips to protect against USPS text scams

USPS scams can be very convincing, especially if you’re actually expecting a package. But falling for one can lead to fraud or identity theft, resulting in consequences like credit score damage or loss of government benefits. That means it’s critical to take proactive steps to protect yourself.

To safeguard against the risks when you’re targeted by a USPS text scam:

• Think before you act: Don’t let the urgent nature of a text message overrule your common sense. Regardless of who your phone claims the message is from, think twice before doing anything if alarm bells are ringing.
• Don’t click links: Clicking website links or downloading attachments from scam messages can put you at risk of falling for a phishing attack or infecting your device with malware. Remember, USPS doesn’t include links in text messages.
• Don’t reply: Interacting with a scam or spam text reveals that your number is active and highlights you as a good target, meaning you may receive more of them in the future. Instead, delete suspicious text messages.
• Block the number: After deleting a scam text, also block the sender’s number. This will reduce the chances of them sending you more messages in the future, gradually reducing the number of scammers you’re exposed to.
• Monitor your phone bill: Although ignoring a scam text should mean you’re safe from harm, check for any unexpected or unauthorized fees on your phone bill to be safe. If you notice anything suspicious, report it to your service provider.
• Install antivirus software: Scammers can’t infect your device if you don’t click any links included in their text, but installing an antivirus app on your phone can help protect you from malware if you fall for a smishing attack.
• Keep your phone number safe: While some scammers target random numbers,  the best way to protect your number is to limit who you share it with, so it’s less vulnerable to leaks and data breaches. Take steps to reduce your digital footprint by removing your phone number from public databases.
• Protect against identity theft:  Invest in an identity theft protection service like LifeLock to help limit the exposure of your personal data and monitor for signs of fraud. You’ll also get critical support to help minimize the damage if your identity is stolen following a scam text.

If you’re ever in doubt and think a text might be legitimate, contact USPS via a different channel to check.

How to report a USPS text scam

You can report any USPS scam texts you receive to USPS itself, your phone service provider, and the FTC. Filing reports helps these organizations build a bank of information that they can use to tackle scams and protect people from falling victim in the future.

Here’s a quick guide to reporting USPS scam texts to the relevant organizations:

• To USPS: Send an email to spam@uspis.gov (the United States Postal Inspection Service), including a transcript and screenshot of the message you received, the number you received it from, your name, and a summary of your scam experience.
• To your phone service provider: Forward the text message to 7726 (SPAM). This will send it directly to your wireless provider, who can take action to identify and block similar messages in the future.
• To the FTC: Visit reportfraud.ftc.gov and submit a scam report, including key information about the message. The FTC will file it in their scam database and provide a list of the next steps to take to protect yourself.

Recent USPS text scams

USPS text scams are particularly common around the holiday season when people might be expecting more packages than usual, but they can occur any time of year. Here are a few examples of recent USPS text scams to look out for:

• Incomplete address: A Reddit thread details a common USPS text scam about incomplete address information. Because the Reddit user was expecting a package, they didn’t immediately recognize the message as a scam.
• Reschedule delivery: A local news source reported on a particularly common USPS scam approach which involves a link to “reschedule a missed delivery” that leads to a fake website or triggers a malware download.
• Holiday scams: The USPIS published a list of scams to look out for during the holiday season. Along with counterfeit postage stamps and package theft, smishing scams featured as a common method for scammers to steal personally identifiable information or install viruses on their victims’ devices.
• Identity fraud: Another resource from the USPIS warns about smishing as a means to commit identity fraud, warning that scammers will try to get their victims’ Social Security numbers, passwords, and usernames to steal their identity.

Protect against text scams

Falling for a USPS scam text can leave you vulnerable to malware, fraud, and identity theft. Remember to always act with caution when you get unexpected texts, and avoid clicking links or giving away personal information. For extra protection, join LifeLock Standard for features that help reduce exposure of your phone number on public databases, monitor the dark web for your phone number, and get notifications of potential fraud involving your information.

FAQs

Does USPS send texts?

USPS offers a text alert service that helps customers track packages, but you have to proactively sign up for it to receive texts. In other words, you won’t receive messages from USPS unless you’ve explicitly requested them, meaning any unsolicited texts claiming to be from USPS are highly likely to be a scam.

What number does USPS text from?

The official USPS text tracking phone number is 28777 (2USPS), but legitimate texts from USPS will likely appear as being from “USPS.” However, even if a text looks official or appears to come from the correct number, scammers can spoof numbers to make their messages seem legitimate. Always verify suspicious texts directly with USPS to stay safe.

What does a USPS tracking number look like?

USPS tracking numbers have 22 digits for standard deliveries, like 9400 1000 0000 0000 0000 00, but tracking numbers for other USPS services may vary. If a text message doesn’t contain a USPS tracking number or if the tracking number is invalid, it’s probably a scam text.

What should you do if you clicked on a USPS scam text?

If you clicked a link in a suspected USPS scam text, you may be vulnerable to malware, fraud, or identity theft. Install an antivirus on your phone to scan for and remove any malware, create new strong passwords for potentially compromised accounts, report the scam to USPS, and consider investing in an identity theft protection service like LifeLock Standard.