You may or may not have been expecting a package, but still got text message, email or call with a tracking number, or were told that a package was either delayed or undeliverable.
These unexpected communications are all part of a larger scam, the Federal Communications Commission warns, and have only grown as more people have shifted to shopping online since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Federal Trade Commission reported that the “fake package delivery problems” text message scam was one of the top-reported text message scams of 2022. Scammers send these texts to impersonate the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, or UPS, and attach a link to a website may look legitimate, but is not.
USPS recommends that consumers never click the link in the suspicious email or texts, and take the following steps to ensure their personal information is kept safe:
- Copy the body of the suspicious text message without clicking the link and report it to spam@uspis.gov.
- In the email, also provide your name, screenshot of the text message showing the phone number of the sender and the date sent.
- Include relevant details in your email, like if you clicked the link, lost money, provided any personal information, or if your credit was impacted.
- You can also use USPS Text Tracking, to monitor packages by texting 2USPS (28777) with your tracking number.