Texts claiming to be FedEx, about a parcel you never ordered, follow a known scam pattern. The link behind them is built to collect card details, logins or a download.
A text that claims to be from FedEx, about a parcel you never ordered, is a known scam. It can reach any iPhone or Android phone. The FTC has warned that such texts are not from a delivery service and that no package exists.
The link leads to a page built to collect card details, logins or a download. In the FTC's description, the page looks like a retailer, asks you to finish a survey, says you won a prize, then asks for a card number to cover shipping. The same scheme also appears under the UPS, USPS and Amazon names.
The scammer does not need to know what you ordered. Many people are waiting on something, so a message sent to huge ranges of numbers will fit a few of them.
Getting the text does not mean your phone is infected, and it does not mean FedEx lost your data. Your number was most likely on a list. The risk starts if you tap the link, pay or enter a password. Replying, even with STOP, tells the sender your number is active and can bring more texts.
The steps in the alert box above cover what to do, including what to do if you already tapped.
The official warnings we found are mostly from 2020 and 2021. No 2026 official alert turned up, so the size of the current wave is unclear. Real shipments are best checked by typing the tracking number on fedex.com yourself.
Never tap the link in a surprise parcel text. Type your tracking number on fedex.com yourself to check a real shipment.
The Attala County Sheriff's Office in Mississippi says scam calls are reaching residents, and a call that sounds official may not be.
Read more: Mississippi sheriff warns residents about scam phone callsScammers are posing as Texas sheriff's officers and claiming you missed jury duty. Caller ID can show a real police number even when the call is fake.
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
