Package delivery scam calls and texts
A message about a package almost always gets opened. That's the entire reason this scam exists, and why it spikes every year alongside real online shopping volume.
How it works
Most versions arrive by text rather than a phone call, a technique sometimes called “smishing” (SMS phishing), though a live or robocall version exists too. It claims to be from a carrier like USPS, FedEx, UPS, or Amazon, and follows one of a few patterns: a small unpaid customs or redelivery fee, a failed delivery attempt needing you to “confirm your address,” or a tracking link that asks for payment card details before it'll show you anything. The link usually leads to a page built to look like the real carrier's site, designed to collect card numbers or login credentials.
None of this requires the sender to know anything about you. With online shopping as common as it is, a generic “your package” message is a safe bet that some percentage of recipients are actually expecting something.
Why it spikes around the holidays
Real package volume peaks in November and December, and so does real carrier text traffic, including legitimate delivery updates. A fake notice has more cover to blend in during that window, and more people are actively waiting on something they ordered, so the underlying pretext lands better than it would in a quiet month.
Red flags
- A fee, however small, required before a package can be delivered. Real carriers bill customs and duties separately, and not through a text link.
- A generic greeting with no order number, name, or details specific to something you actually bought.
- A link with a slightly-off domain, an unusual URL shortener, or a shipping-tracking page that asks for a card number upfront.
- Urgency: “package will be returned to sender within 24 hours” is a pressure tactic, not a real carrier policy.
What to do about it
- Don't tap the link. If you're expecting a package, track it directly through the retailer's order history or the carrier's official app or site instead.
- If a call rather than a text is involved, you can look up the number here to see if it's already been reported.
- Forward suspicious delivery texts to 7726 (“SPAM” on most keypads), which routes them to your carrier for spam filtering.
- Report it to the FTC and, if it impersonated a specific carrier, that carrier's fraud reporting page.