"USPS: Your package is on hold due to an incomplete address. Confirm here." It's the most-reported scam text in America, because it works: everyone is waiting for something. The fake fee is tiny — a dollar or two — but the card number you enter to pay it is the real prize.
The same template powers fake toll-road bills (E-ZPass, SunPass), customs fees, and re-delivery charges. Small dollar amounts keep victims from thinking twice, and the checkout page harvests the full card.
How the scam works
1
The notice
A text or email about a held package, failed delivery, or unpaid toll — with a link to fix it.
2
The lookalike site
A convincing USPS/FedEx/toll page asks you to confirm your address and pay a small fee.
3
The harvest
The 'fee' form captures your card number, expiration, CVC, and address — everything needed to charge or clone the card.
4
The drain
Charges start small to test the card, then escalate. Some sites also enroll you in fake subscriptions billed monthly.
Red flags to watch for
!USPS never texts links
USPS doesn't send unsolicited tracking texts with links — only replies if you signed up for a specific tracking number. Toll agencies bill by mail or through your registered app.
!A fee to release a package
Carriers collect duties through formal channels, not $1.99 card payments on a linked page.
!The tracking number doesn't work on the real site
Type usps.com yourself and check. Fake notices use numbers that don't exist.
!Odd sender
Random phone numbers, foreign country codes, or email addresses with no relation to the carrier.
!Slightly wrong domain
usps-delivery-fix.com, fedex.package-hold.net — the real brand never lives on those domains.
What to do
✓Check the real tracking
Go directly to the carrier's site or app and enter your actual tracking numbers. Waiting on something? It'll be there.
✓If you entered card details
Call your bank now, kill the card, and watch statements for small test charges followed by big ones.
✓Report the text
Forward to 7726 (SPAM). USPS-specific fakes can also go to spam@uspis.gov.
✓Look up the sender on Scambook
Search the number that texted you — delivery-scam campaigns generate heavy report volume fast.
Frequently asked questions
I'm actually expecting a package. How do I check safely?
Never through the text. Open the carrier's real app or type the site address yourself and use your original tracking number from the retailer's order confirmation.
I paid the small fee. Is losing $1.99 the end of it?
Unfortunately no — the fee was a card-harvesting form. Treat the card as compromised and have your bank replace it before real charges land.
Why did the text say a toll road I actually drive on?
Volume and luck: these campaigns blast entire area codes with region-appropriate toll brands. Confirm any real balance in your toll app or account directly.
Got a message that looks like this scam?
Paste it into Scambook's free AI checker for an instant verdict, or look up the phone number or website that contacted you.
Scambook