In short
Most common fake: Package on hold because of an incomplete address, with a link to update it.
Safest check: Type usps.com into your browser yourself and enter your tracking number there.
Where to report it: Email USPS-related scam texts to the US Postal Inspection Service at spam@uspis.gov, with a screenshot showing the sender number and date.
What USPS says
USPS says it will not send you texts or emails unless you first asked for updates using a tracking number, and those messages will not contain a link. Genuine USPS text tracking uses a short code that you start yourself. Source: U.S. Postal Inspection Service
Common fake USPS messages
These are the 5 shapes a fake USPS message usually takes. They are listed in the order we see them most often, and none of them is something USPS itself does.
- Package on hold because of an incomplete address, with a link to update it
- Unpaid postage or redelivery fee payment link
- Missed delivery notice asking you to click to reschedule
- Request to update shipping preferences
- Fake USPS page asking for card number, PIN or Social Security number
USPS's real web addresses
Genuine USPS links and emails use these domains. Look at the part just before the first single slash: usps.com is real, but usps-support-center.com or usps.com.account-check.top are not.
- usps.com
- uspis.gov
Scammers can also hide a fake link behind real-looking text. Learn how to read a web address.
How to check a USPS message safely
- Type usps.com into your browser yourself and enter your tracking number there
- If you did not request tracking for a package, ignore the text
- Check shipping and tracking details with the retailer or account you ordered from
- For tracking by text, send your tracking number to 28777 (2USPS) yourself
How to report a fake USPS message
- Email USPS-related scam texts to the US Postal Inspection Service at spam@uspis.gov, with a screenshot showing the sender number and date. Official details on uspis.gov
- Forward the scam text to 7726 (SPAM) to alert your mobile carrier. Official details on uspis.gov
- Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Official details on consumer.ftc.gov
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 usps.com, 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 USPS security. Never share one-time codes and never move money to a "safe account".
- Email USPS-related scam texts to the US Postal Inspection Service at spam@uspis.gov, with a screenshot showing the sender number and date, 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 USPS send messages asking for payment or personal details?
USPS says it will not send you texts or emails unless you first asked for updates using a tracking number, and those messages will not contain a link. Genuine USPS text tracking uses a short code that you start yourself.
How can I check if a USPS message is real?
Type usps.com into your browser yourself and enter your tracking number there. If you did not request tracking for a package, ignore the text. Check shipping and tracking details with the retailer or account you ordered from. For tracking by text, send your tracking number to 28777 (2USPS) yourself.
How do I report a fake USPS message?
Email USPS-related scam texts to the US Postal Inspection Service at spam@uspis.gov, with a screenshot showing the sender number and date. Forward the scam text to 7726 (SPAM) to alert your mobile carrier. Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
I clicked a link in a fake USPS 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 usps.com yourself. Clicking does tell the sender your number is live, so expect more messages for a while: email usps-related scam texts to the us postal inspection service at spam@uspis.gov, with a screenshot showing the sender number and date.
Have you had this one?
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Official sources and further reading
We check our pages against official advice from the organisations themselves and from government agencies.
- Smishing (U.S. Postal Inspection Service)
- Think that text message is from USPS? It could be a scam (Federal Trade Commission)
- Text Tracking FAQs (USPS)