How to verify a parcel delivery text before paying a fee

A text that says your address is incomplete or that you owe a redelivery fee can be a phishing attempt, even when you are expecting a parcel. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Postal Inspection Service describe scams that use delivery messages to collect payment or personal details. Start with the order or carrier account you already use, leaving the message link unopened. FTC guidance on fake delivery messages · U.S. Postal Inspection Service package tracking text scam guidance

Verify the request from your own records

Open the original order or dispatch confirmation and copy the tracking number from there. Check the carrier through its known site or app. Compare the latest event with the message and ask the carrier or agent whether a fee or address correction is required. Use contact information from your existing account or an official source you reach independently of the message.

Why a small fee still needs checking

A carrier name, logo or low fee does little to verify a message. A scam may ask you to pay a small amount so it can collect the card number. If a fee is genuine, check the amount and payment instructions through the carrier or agent you contacted independently. See how to interpret tracking events if the carrier’s record is unclear.

If you already entered details

If you shared payment details, contact your card issuer or bank promptly using the number on your card or its official app and ask what steps to take. If you entered an account password, change it through the account’s official sign-in page and change it anywhere else you reused it. Save the message and any receipt for your report. FTC guidance on responding to phishing and reporting a scam payment