Is this FedEx text a scam? How to tell before you tap the link

You got a text saying your FedEx package is on hold. It needs an address update, or there's a customs fee to pay, and there's a link. You're expecting a few deliveries, so it seems plausible.

By the end of this, you'll know whether it's real, how to check your actual package, and what to do if you already tapped.

The short answer

Don't tap the link. Open a browser, type fedex.com, ups.com or usps.com yourself, and enter the tracking number from your order confirmation. If the carrier's own site shows no problem, the text was a scam. Delete it after you report it.

Before you start

• What you need: your phone, and the order confirmation email from the store you bought from.
• Time: about 2 minutes to check, 15 to 30 minutes if you already tapped the link.
• Don't reply to the text, not even "STOP." Replying tells the sender your number is live.

The 30-second check

Most fake package texts fail at least one of these:

1. Look at the sender. Real carrier texts come from short codes you signed up for, not a random 10-digit number or an email address.
2. Look at the link. Fakes use look-alike addresses like "fedex-redelivery-help.com" or strings of random letters. The real domain is just fedex.com, ups.com or usps.com.
3. Look at the hook. "Incomplete address," "unpaid postage," "customs fee," or "update your delivery preferences." The FTC has flagged that exact FedEx script, complete with a fake tracking code, since 2020.
4. Ask whether you signed up. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is blunt here. If you never requested text tracking for that package, don't click.
5. Watch for money. A request for a small fee by card is the whole point of the scam. The fake site captures your card number, and sometimes your passwords and Social Security number.

One wrinkle: FedEx does send some real texts about shipments and import duties. Scammers have used confusion over the 2025 tariff rules to fake customs payment demands. So "it mentions duties" doesn't prove it's fake. It just means you verify it the safe way.

Check your real delivery without the link

1. Find your tracking number in the store's order confirmation email or your account on the store's site. Don't use the number in the text.
2. Open your browser and type the carrier's address by hand: fedex.com, ups.com or usps.com. Or open the carrier's official app if you already have it.
3. Paste the tracking number into the tracking box.
4. Read the status. If it says in transit or delivered with no exceptions, the text was fake.
5. If a real duty is owed, pay it only through the carrier's own site or app, reached the way you just did.

If the carrier's site shows the same problem the text described, you're dealing with a real notice, and you handle it there. Still never through the text's link.

If you already tapped the link or paid

Act in this order. Speed matters more than anything else.

1. Close the page. Don't enter anything else.
2. Call your bank or card issuer using the number on the back of your card. USPIS says to do this even if you only opened the link and never hit submit. Ask them to block the card and watch for charges.
3. Change any password you typed on that page. If you reused it anywhere, change it there too, starting with email.
4. Turn on two-step verification for your email and bank if it isn't on already.
5. Check your phone for anything new. If you installed an app or profile from the link, remove it. Android users can follow our guide to removing malware from Android.

For the full recovery walkthrough, see I clicked a link in a scam text. Now what?. If you think your email login was stolen, go straight to Email hacked? What to do in the first hour.

Report the text

Forwarding to 7726 (it spells SPAM) helps your wireless carrier block the same message for other people.

iPhone

1. Press and hold the scam message bubble.
2. Tap More, then tap the forward arrow in the corner.
3. Enter 7726 as the recipient and tap Send.
4. Back in the conversation, tap Report Junk if it appears under the message, or delete and block the sender.

Android (Google Messages on Pixel and many Samsungs)

1. Press and hold the scam message.
2. Tap the three-dot menu → Forward.
3. Enter 7726 and send.
4. Go back, press and hold the conversation, then tap Block and leave Report spam checked.

On Samsung Messages, the steps are similar. Press and hold the message, then look for Forward or Share.

Also report it here

• USPS fakes: email a screenshot to spam@uspis.gov. Include the sender's number, the date, and anything you clicked or lost.
• Any package scam: file at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
• If you lost money: also file with the FBI at ic3.gov.

Still not working? Try these

1. Can't find your tracking number? Log into the store where you ordered and check your order history. Amazon and most retailers list the carrier and tracking there.
2. Texts keep coming from new numbers? Block each one and keep forwarding to 7726. Scammers rotate numbers constantly, so filtering (below) does more than blocking.
3. Still unsure if a FedEx duty notice is real? Call FedEx using the number listed on fedex.com, not one from the text.
4. A charge showed up later? Dispute it with your card issuer right away. If it went through Zelle, read our Zelle scam guide.

Keep it from happening again

• Filter unknown senders. On iPhone, go to Settings → Apps → Messages and turn on Screen Unknown Senders. On older versions it's Settings → Messages → Filter Unknown Senders. In Google Messages, tap your profile picture → Messages settings → Protection & Safety and make sure spam protection is on.
• Track from the source. Get tracking updates through the store's app or the carrier's app, never from a link in a text.
• Use a credit card for online shopping, not debit. Disputes are easier and your checking account isn't exposed.
• Expect more of these before Black Friday. Holiday shopping means more real packages, so more fakes slip past. If you live in a building where packages go missing from the lobby, a "held package" text feels believable. Check before you trust it.

Quick answers

Does FedEx ever text you to pay a fee? Sometimes, for real import duties. Verify any payment request by typing fedex.com yourself and entering your tracking number. Never pay through a link in a text.

I opened the link but didn't type anything. Am I OK? Probably, but USPIS recommends telling your bank anyway. Close the page, don't install anything it offers, and watch your statements.

Why do they ask for such a small amount, like $1.99? The fee is bait. The goal is your full card number, plus sometimes your passwords and personal details.

Sources

• Is that text message about your FedEx package really a scam? (FTC)
• Smishing: Package Tracking Text Scams (USPIS)
• Fake package delivery texts: Why these scams keep getting harder to spot
• FedEx scams: How to spot, avoid, and report them in 2026

Tapped the link? Let us lock it down

If you clicked, typed a password, or paid that "customs fee," an ITGoNYC tech can connect through secure remote support. We'll check your phone and accounts, change the passwords that matter, turn on two-step verification, and confirm nothing was left behind. Call or text 347-549-9059 now for same-day help, or open a ticket.