The Fake FedEx/UPS Redelivery Text Scam: What It Looks Like and What to Do

You're expecting a package — most of us usually are — and a text says the driver missed you. Just tap the link, confirm your address, and pay a small redelivery fee.

That text didn't come from FedEx, UPS, or the postal service. It came from a scammer playing the odds that you have something on the way.

How the scam works

This scam is called smishing: phishing by SMS. Scammers text millions of random numbers pretending to be FedEx, UPS, USPS, or DHL. They don't know if you ordered anything. They don't need to. At any given moment, enough people are waiting on a delivery that the message feels personal.

The link leads to a convincing copy of a real courier website, complete with logos and a fake tracking page showing your "held" package. Then comes the harvest: confirm your name and address, then enter a card for the small "redelivery fee." The $2.99 is not the point. Your card number, billing address, and phone number are — sold or used for fraud within days. Some fake sites also ask you to "sign in" with your email password, and some push you to install a "tracking app" that is actually malware, particularly on Android phones.

The 48-hour deadline and the threat of returning your package exist to rush you past the moment where you'd notice something is off.

The red flags in the example above

• A payment link in a text message. FedEx and UPS never charge redelivery fees, and they never text payment links. Neither does USPS.
• The web address isn't the real one. "fedex-redelivery-center.com" is not fedex.com. Scam domains bolt extra words onto a brand name to look legitimate.
• A tiny fee. Small enough to pay without thinking. Real couriers don't nickel-and-dime redelivery at all.
• A deadline with a threat. "Within 48 hours or it goes back" is pressure, not policy.
• No tracking number you recognize. Real delivery notices reference the tracking number from your order. Scam texts stay vague because they don't know what you ordered.

What to do

1. Don't click the link. Don't reply either, even "STOP" — replies confirm your number is active.
2. Check your deliveries the safe way. Open your order confirmation email, copy the tracking number, and enter it yourself at fedex.com, ups.com, or usps.com. Or just check the retailer's app.
3. Report the text. Forward it to 7726 (SPAM), which helps carriers block the sender. You can also report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
4. Delete and block. Expect occasional repeats from new numbers; they're just as fake.

If you already clicked or paid

1. Entered a card number: call your bank using the number on the back of your card. Ask for a replacement card and flag the account for fraud. Reported fraudulent charges are almost always reimbursed.
2. Entered a password: change it immediately, plus anywhere else you use the same password. Turn on two-factor authentication for your email.
3. Installed an app from the link: delete it, restart your phone, run Google Play Protect (Android), and change your important passwords. If anything still seems off, a factory reset is the sure fix — back up photos first.
4. Only opened the page: you're almost certainly fine. Close it and move on.

Delivery scam texts work because they're mundane — no drama, just a small errand to handle. The habit that beats them is just as mundane: track packages from your own email or the retailer's app, never from a text you didn't expect.