USPS scams

Fake USPS texts want your card details, passwords or Social Security number. USPS says it only texts you if you asked for tracking with a tracking number, and those texts never contain a link.

Check a USPS link

How to report a USPS scam

Tell the US Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm of USPS.

  • Copy the text of the message into an email, add your name and a screenshot showing the sender's number and the date. For a fake email, forward it, then delete it.: [email protected]
  • Forward the text to 7726 to help report the scam phone number: text 7726
  • Report fraud to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service: https://www.uspis.gov/report/

Then get the fake site taken down: report the phishing link.

What USPS says

  • The Postal Inspection Service says USPS will not send you texts or emails unless you first asked for the service with a tracking number, and those messages will not contain a link.
  • The Postal Inspection Service says USPS uses 5-digit short codes to send and receive texts.
  • The Postal Inspection Service says USPS does not tell customers about delivery attempts by email, and does not ask for personal information by email.
  • The Postal Inspection Service says USPS officials, including the Postmaster General, would never contact you directly to ask for money or personal information.
  • The Postal Inspection Service says that if you already opened the link, even without pressing submit, you should tell your bank. It will contact you if it needs more about your report.

USPS's own warning page: Smishing: Package Tracking Text Scams: United States Postal Inspection Service

What fake USPS messages look like

  • Unexpected texts saying a USPS delivery needs your action, with a strange link
  • Phone calls from scammers posing as USPS

Real USPS websites end in

  • usps.com
  • uspis.gov

Checked against USPS's own pages on 2026-10-19 (first published 2026-10-10): 1, 2. Not affiliated with USPS.