You're expecting a package, or maybe you're not sure, and a text arrives: your parcel couldn't be delivered, and a small fee is needed to release it. A couple of dollars, sometimes less. It's such a small amount that paying it almost feels easier than checking whether it's real. That's exactly the point.
Delivery scams work because they're low-stakes enough to feel harmless and common enough to feel plausible — almost everyone orders things online now. Here's how to actually tell a real delivery notice from a fake one.
1. Ask first: am I actually expecting a package?
If you haven't ordered anything recently, an unexpected "your parcel is waiting" message is an easy call. If you have ordered something, that's exactly why this scam works so well — it's a reasonable coincidence often enough that people don't question it.
2. Real couriers don't usually ask for a small fee by text link
Legitimate delivery issues — a wrong address, a missed handoff — are normally resolved through the courier's own app, website, or a call to their listed support line, not by paying a "redelivery fee" or "customs charge" through a link texted to you out of the blue. If money is genuinely owed, official channels will make that clear without needing you to click anything first.
3. Check the link and the sender closely
Fake delivery texts often use a domain that has nothing to do with the courier company, or a spelling that's just slightly off from the real one. If you're not certain a link belongs to the actual carrier, don't use it — go to the courier's official app or website directly and check your tracking number there instead.
4. Compare it with your actual tracking info
If you're expecting a real package, you likely already have a tracking number from the seller or the courier. Check that number directly on the courier's real website. If the message doesn't match any order you can actually trace, that's a strong sign it isn't real.
5. Go to the source instead of the link
Whether it's a well-known courier or your local postal service, they'll have an official app or website where you can track a package using just the order or tracking number — no link required. When in doubt, that's always the safer path.
A quick checklist before you respond
- Am I actually expecting a delivery right now?
- Is it asking me to pay a small fee through a link to "release" my package?
- Does the link's web address actually match the courier's real one?
- Can I find this exact delivery when I check my tracking number directly?
- Is it pressuring me to act within a few hours or lose the package?
More than one "yes" here is a good reason to check directly with the courier before paying anything.
This is another face of the same underlying trick as fake bank alerts — a form of phishing, where a message impersonates an organization you trust to get you to act without checking. If you want to see how the same pattern shows up in banking texts, we've covered that in how to check if a bank message is fake.
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Further reading
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