In short
Most common fake: Package held in a warehouse, confirm a small payment to deliver it.
Safest check: Enter your tracking number yourself at canadapost-postescanada.ca.
Where to report it: Forward spam texts to 7726 (SPAM).
What Canada Post says
Canada Post says it will never text you or send unsolicited email asking for card or banking details, login details, or payment to track or release a delivery. It does not charge you to track or release a delivery. Source: Canada Post
Common fake Canada Post messages
These are the 4 shapes a fake Canada Post message usually takes. They are listed in the order we see them most often, and none of them is something Canada Post itself does.
- Package held in a warehouse, confirm a small payment to deliver it
- Link to arrange delivery of a package
- Reward offered as an apology for a bad delivery experience
- Social media giveaway of phones that only asks for a shipping fee
Canada Post's real web addresses
Genuine Canada Post links and emails use these domains. Look at the part just before the first single slash: canadapost-postescanada.ca is real, but canadapost-postescanada-support-center.com or canadapost-postescanada.ca.account-check.top are not.
- canadapost-postescanada.ca
- canadapost.ca
Scammers can also hide a fake link behind real-looking text. Learn how to read a web address.
How to check a Canada Post message safely
- Enter your tracking number yourself at canadapost-postescanada.ca
- Genuine Canada Post texts come only from the short codes and numbers listed on its support page
- Canada Post leaves a delivery notice card at your door rather than sending unsolicited emails
- Contact Canada Post directly through its website if unsure
How to report a fake Canada Post message
- Forward spam texts to 7726 (SPAM). Official details on canadapost-postescanada.ca
- Report fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or by phone. Official details on antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
Also report it to the official fraud service in your country. See the worldwide list.
If you clicked, paid or shared details
Act quickly. It makes a difference.
- If you entered card or bank details, call your bank now using the number on your card, and ask them to block the card.
- If you entered a password, change it at canadapost-postescanada.ca, typed into your browser yourself, and turn on two-step verification. Do not use any link from the message.
- Expect follow-up calls or messages pretending to help, sometimes claiming to be from Canada Post security. Never share one-time codes and never move money to a "safe account".
- Forward spam texts to 7726 (SPAM), then delete the message.
More help: Fake delivery texts and customs-fee scams and what to do after a scam.
How to protect yourself next time
Take your details off data broker sites
Scammers buy phone numbers, home addresses and family details from people-search and data broker sites. The less of that is public, the fewer and less convincing the scam messages you get.
Free: You can ask each site to delete your details yourself. In the EU and the UK, data protection law gives you that right.
- Incogni Partner link Sends removal requests to data brokers for you, and keeps sending them.
Watch for anyone using your identity
If you shared ID documents, card details or a Social Security number, monitoring can alert you when someone opens credit or accounts in your name.
Free: In the US, a credit freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion is free and blocks most new-credit fraud. Elsewhere, ask your bank and your credit reference agency about fraud alerts.
- Aura Partner link US identity theft protection with credit monitoring and fraud insurance.
Compare the tools that help, and what each costs
Links marked Partner link may earn us a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes our advice, and the free option always comes first. Affiliate disclosure.
Questions people ask
Does Canada Post send messages asking for payment or personal details?
Canada Post says it will never text you or send unsolicited email asking for card or banking details, login details, or payment to track or release a delivery. It does not charge you to track or release a delivery.
How can I check if a Canada Post message is real?
Enter your tracking number yourself at canadapost-postescanada.ca. Genuine Canada Post texts come only from the short codes and numbers listed on its support page. Canada Post leaves a delivery notice card at your door rather than sending unsolicited emails. Contact Canada Post directly through its website if unsure.
How do I report a fake Canada Post message?
Forward spam texts to 7726 (SPAM). Report fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or by phone.
I clicked a link in a fake Canada Post message but did not enter anything. Am I at risk?
Opening a link is far less serious than filling one in. Close it, and if you need your account, reach it by typing canadapost-postescanada.ca yourself. Clicking does tell the sender your number is live, so expect more messages for a while: forward spam texts to 7726 (spam).
Have you had this one?
Tell other people what the message said and how it reached you. It helps someone recognise it before they tap.
No stories yet. Yours could be the one that warns someone.
Official sources and further reading
We check our pages against official advice from the organisations themselves and from government agencies.
- Recognizing spam, fraudulent emails and text messages (Canada Post)
- Protecting yourself against brand-spoofing fraudsters (Canada Post)
- Report fraud and cybercrime (Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre)