AI Scam Library
Fake delivery texts and fake stores A link you shouldn’t click.
By Jake Geise, founder of VUYSE · Updated October 2026 · Sources below
A text says your package can’t be delivered and asks you to update your address or pay a small fee. Or an ad offers a famous brand at a huge discount. Both lead to fake websites built to take your card number or password. Don’t click; go to the real site yourself.
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How it works
- A text says a delivery is on hold, with a link to “update your details.”
- The link opens a look-alike site that asks for your card number, address or password.
- Fake stores copy real brands and advertise on social media with prices that seem too good to be true.
- You get nothing, a cheap knockoff, or charges you didn’t make.
Warning signs
- A delivery text you weren’t expecting, with a link
- Urgency: “within 12 hours” or “final notice”
- A small fee to redeliver
- A web address that’s almost, but not quite, the real one
- Famous brands at deep discounts in a social media ad
What to do
- Don’t click the link. Type the real site, like usps.com, yourself.
- USPS only texts tracking updates you signed up for, and those texts never include a link.
- Before buying from a new store, search its name with “scam” or “complaints.”
- Pay with a credit card, which gives you more protection.
New scams like this appear every week. Get the free 7-Day Kickstart and weekly Scam Watch alerts →
#1
Fake package delivery texts were the most-reported text scam of 2024. Text scams cost people $470 million that year.
Source: FTC: Top text message scams of 2024If you already paid or clicked
If you entered a card number, call your card company right away. If you entered a password, change it everywhere you use it. Forward the text to 7726, and report USPS texts by email to spam@uspis.gov.
It’s not your fault. These are professionals, and they fool smart people every day. Acting fast is what matters.
Where to report it
- ReportFraud.ftc.gov: the Federal Trade Commission
- ic3.gov: the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, whatever the amount lost
Need help? Call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311 (1-833-FRAUD-11), or the free AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360.
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