Why Do Scam Texts Spike Before Christmas?
Spot fake delivery texts this holiday season and check packages safely without clicking risky links.
Scam texts spike before Christmas because online orders surge and shoppers expect constant delivery updates. Criminals send fake delayed-package or suspended-package alerts that blend into that normal message flow. You may be waiting on gifts, returns, and last-minute orders at once.
This article explains which messages surge, why they work, and how to check tracking safely.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 03, 2026.
Which texts surge at the holidays?
According to the FTC in the FTC's April 2025 Data Spotlight, fake package-delivery texts were the most commonly reported text scam in 2024. The same FTC analysis puts reported losses from scams starting with texts at $470 million, over five times the 2020 total. That ranking matters for holiday shoppers because delivery messages are the ones you most expect in December.
Exposure is broad. In an August 2025 survey of 1,849 adults, AARP found 89% had experienced or been targeted by holiday-season fraud and 55% had received a fake shipment notification, as reported in the AARP holiday scams survey. The FTC notes its loss total comes from a hand-coded sample of reports to its Consumer Sentinel Network.
Actual losses and volume are higher because many incidents go unreported.
How does volume follow shopping season?
Scammers raise volume when shoppers are busiest. RoboKiller tracking reported via PR Newswire estimated Americans received 47 billion spam texts in November during the holiday-shopping surge. That scale lets criminals hide a small number of replies inside a very large blast.
The same pattern shows in fake websites. Infosecurity Magazine, reporting NordVPN data, found malicious postal-service websites rose 86% in one month during the 2025 holiday rush. Sites impersonating one large U.S.
carrier jumped 850% month-over-month, sites impersonating DHL rose 206%, and DPD was also targeted. Carriers with the heaviest holiday volume are the most spoofed.
Why do busy shoppers click?
The spike works because the message matches what you already expect. FTC Consumer Advice and the Postal Inspection Service carrier warning point to frequent legitimate delivery updates and surprise gifts as the reason. A short alert about a delivery problem plus a lookalike carrier link prompts a fast tap.
A common version says a package is delayed or suspended and asks you to click to fix delivery. The link leads to a lookalike site that asks for login, address, payment, or tracking details. During the holidays, that request can feel routine because real carriers, retailers, and gift senders all message you in the same week.
How can you check tracking safely?
Treat an unsolicited delivery text as unverified until you check another way. The Postal Inspection Service says never click an unsolicited tracking link you did not request. Open the retailer's or carrier's own website yourself and enter the tracking number there.
Use these steps for each alert:
- Do not tap the link, reply, or call back.
- Find your order in the retailer account or confirmation email.
- Type the carrier website address yourself and track there.
- Forward a fake USPS message to [email protected], then delete it, per its 2025 holiday guidance.