Fake delivery texts ask for a tiny fee on a look-alike carrier site, then collect your full card details. Here is how to spot the scam and what to do if you paid.
A text says your package could not be delivered because your address is incomplete. It links to a page where you can fix it and pay a small fee, maybe $1.95. It is a scam. The page is built to collect your card number, and the Federal Trade Commission has warned about these messages.
Scammers send texts that claim an address problem, unpaid postage or a missed delivery. They pose as carriers such as USPS, FedEx, UPS or DHL. The link leads to a copy of a carrier website, with familiar logos, colors and tracking graphics. Some pages show realistic shipment details and ask for your name, address, phone number and payment information.
A $1.95 charge feels harmless when you are waiting on a $200 order. But the payment page can capture your full card number, expiration date, security code and billing address, no matter how small the fee looks. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says criminals sometimes test stolen card details with small charges before trying bigger ones.
Getting one of these texts right after an order does not mean the store was hacked. Scammers send huge numbers of texts, knowing many people are waiting on packages, especially in busy shopping seasons. Some messages name no retailer or tracking number at all, so the same wording works on anyone. The good timing is usually luck.
The alert box above lists the steps. The short version: skip the link, check your order through the store or the carrier directly, and call your bank right away if you already entered card details.
Expect more of these texts while holiday orders pile up. The wording and the carrier names may change, but the pattern stays the same: a problem that seems urgent, a small payment and a link you did not ask for.
Never pay a delivery fee through a text link. Check the order in the store's account or type the carrier's web address yourself.
The Attala County Sheriff's Office in Mississippi says scam calls are reaching residents, and a call that sounds official may not be.
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Read more: Fake jury duty calls spoof a real Texas sheriff's phone numberFake PayPal emails and texts, some posing as a security report, try to get you to tap a link and type your login. Checking your account directly avoids the trap.
Read more: Got a fake PayPal message? Skip its link and check your account yourself
