Should You Click That "Track Your Package" Link?
Spot a fake delivery text, check your parcel without tapping links, and report smishing fast.
No. Do not tap an unexpected track your package link in a text. Treat an unsolicited delivery text with a link as a message to delete, not open.
Smishing is social engineering by text message, where a text prompts you to tap a link, send a message, or place a call. Fake package-delivery texts were the most commonly reported text scam in 2024. The Federal Trade Commission reported $470 million lost to scams that started with texts in its new fraud data.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 05, 2026.
What happens after you tap?
The typical message claims a delivery problem and links to a fake carrier-like site. That site asks for a small redelivery fee. The Federal Trade Commission says that fee request is used to steal credit-card or Social Security numbers in its April 2025 text-scam review.
Anyone waiting for parcels can feel pressed to act fast. Arizona's attorney general warns these package notices can target anyone expecting parcels.
Does a real tracking text include a link?
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says USPS sends tracking texts only after you requested tracking with a specific tracking number. It also says legitimate USPS messages contain no link, explained in its package-fraud guidance.
The Postal Inspection Service treats an unsolicited text with a strange link about a USPS delivery as smishing. Do not click that link.
How do you check a delivery without tapping?
Go to the carrier yourself instead of using the text link. Type the carrier address into your browser or open its app. Enter the tracking number from your order confirmation or shipping receipt.
This keeps you away from fake pages that copy carrier logos and forms. It also works when you are waiting for several parcels.
- Use the tracking number from your order or receipt
- Type the carrier address yourself or open the app
- Enter the number directly and read the status there
What should you do with the text?
Forward a suspected text to 7726, spelled SPAM. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and send USPS fakes to [email protected]. The Postal Inspection Service and Federal Communications Commission list these reporting steps in their fraud-reporting guidance.
Do not reply, and do not share payment or identity details. Keep the message until you have reported it, then delete it.