5 Package Delivery Text Scams Arizonans Get Every Holiday Season
If a text from FedEx asks you to reply “Y” to activate a link, don’t.
With holiday orders on the way, Arizonans will likely receive an increased number of texts like that.
Here are the package delivery text scams Arizonans get every holiday season, and what to do if you’ve already tapped a link.
Note: This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Scam tactics and reporting steps are subject to change, so confirm the current details with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
1. Redelivery Fee Requests
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says fake package delivery texts were the most reported text scam of 2024.
Many pretended to be the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), with a link to a website that looks like the USPS site.
The catch?
A small redelivery fee is a trick to get your credit card or even your Social Security number.
2. Address Problem Holds
The nonprofit AARP describes texts saying a USPS, UPS or FedEx delivery is on hold because of an address issue, insufficient postage or because nobody was home to receive it.
The link then asks you to provide information, pay extra postage or reschedule.
Another says you had a missed delivery attempt and gives a link to reschedule.
Another USPS text is about a delivery problem for a tracking request you never made.
3. Reply-to-Activate Links
A text posing as FedEx tells you to reply with the letter Y, according to a Better Business Bureau (BBB) Scam Tracker report.
Then it says to close and reopen the message so the link works.
The link starts with fedex.com, but an @ sign follows, then an unrelated web address.
Another USPS-themed text asks you to reply with a 1 before opening its activation link.
Psst! How much do you know about scam texts? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Scam Text IQ
Answer these questions on scam texts and how to fight back. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
A text about a large purchase on your account says to reply YES or NO. According to the FTC’s 2024 text-scam data, what happens when people reply?
4. Delivery Preference Prize Surveys
A February 2020 FTC alert described a text that seemed to come from FedEx, with a fake shipment tracking code and a link to update your delivery preferences.
The link took you to a fake Amazon website.
There, you were invited to take a customer satisfaction survey for a chance at a free prize.
To get the prize, you had to give your credit card number to pay for shipping.
So the prize wasn't free.
If a text like that might be real, contact the company through a website or phone number you know is real.
5. Unclaimed Package Notices
Texts claiming to be from USPS and asking you to claim a package were pinging phones across the country in February 2025.
The texts are part of an international phishing scheme designed to steal personal information, a U.S. Postal Inspector said.
Clicking the link could expose your identity or bank account details.
Delete the text immediately.
Warning Signs to Spot
Arizona's Attorney General's Office warned in March 2026 that a package delivery scam typically begins with an unsolicited text or email saying a package is on its way.
Fraudsters pose as UPS, FedEx or USPS.
Unexpected messages about a package you didn't order, a sense of urgency and requests for personal or financial information are the warning signs.
Lookalike names are another giveaway, such as fed-ex.com or fedX.com instead of fedex.com.
Package delivery texts also made the office's December 2025 holiday warning list. Scammers pose as a delivery service and call or send a text message.
The list covers texts asking you to confirm your credit card number to pay for a delivery.
It also covers texts claiming you'll receive a package but asking you to enter personal information.
Legitimate businesses don't send texts claiming problems to lure you into revealing financial information.
For a message like that, search online for the business's website and call the number listed there.
When USPS Does Text You
USPS does send package delivery texts, but only after you ask for them, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
You have to register online or start a text message with a tracking number, and the messages that follow won't contain a link.
USPS tracking is free, so if you're expecting a package, check USPS.com instead of using a link in a text.
Don't reply to a text like that or click any links in it.
FedEx says it doesn't request personal information about your account credentials or identity in unsolicited mail, email or text.
Where to Report a Scam Delivery Text
The FTC says forwarding a scam delivery text to 7726 (SPAM) helps your wireless provider spot and block similar messages.
If the text claims to come from USPS, email spam@uspis.gov and include your name and a screenshot showing the sender's number and the date.
Report a scam text from any other sender to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
In Arizona, you can also file a consumer complaint with the Attorney General's Office at azag.gov/complaints/consumer.
After Tapping the Link
If you shared financial information after a package delivery text, contact your bank immediately.
Anyone who shared personal information should contact the FTC at identitytheft.gov and consider a fraud alert or credit freeze with Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.
Also monitor your phone bill for unauthorized charges and report them to your carrier.
9 Arizona Habits That Get Transplants a Strange Look in Every Other State
Arizona summers come with habits that follow locals out of state.
These are the habits that get Arizonans a strange look when they move away.
9 Arizona Habits That Get Transplants a Strange Look in Every Other State
