You’re waiting for a package. Maybe it’s those vintage boots you found on eBay or a mundane replacement filter for your fridge. Then your phone buzzes. It’s a text message claiming your delivery is on hold because of an incomplete address. There’s a link. It looks official-ish. You’re busy, you’re tired, and you just want your stuff. But wait. Before you tap that screen, you need to step back. The reality of how to know if USPS text is real has changed lately because scammers are getting way better at mimicking the Post Office's tone.
Scams like this—often called "smishing"—are exploding. The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) has been shouting from the rooftops about this for years, yet thousands of people still fall for it every single day. It's not because they're "gullible." It’s because the scammers have mastered the art of the "urgent inconvenience."
The Cold, Hard Truth About USPS Texting Policy
Let’s get one thing straight: USPS does not just text you out of the blue. They really don't.
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If you didn’t specifically go to the USPS website, enter a tracking number, and click a button to "Opt-in" for text alerts, any message you get is 100% a scam. Period. USPS doesn't keep your phone number on file to proactively "help" you with delivery issues. They don't have a database where they match your cell number to a package unless you’ve manually linked them for a specific shipment.
Honestly, the Post Office is a massive bureaucracy. They aren't going to hunt you down via SMS to tell you your house number is missing. They’ll just send the package back to the sender or hold it at the local annex. Knowing this one rule—that you have to initiate the contact—is the biggest hurdle for scammers.
Spotting the "Incomplete Address" Trap
The most common fake text usually says something like: "The USPS package has arrived at the warehouse but cannot be delivered due to incomplete address information. Please update your link: [scary-looking-url]."
Does that sound professional? Maybe. But look at the details.
First, check the "from" number. Real USPS notifications come from a 5-digit short code. If you see a full 10-digit phone number, especially one with an international country code like +44 (UK) or +63 (Philippines), it is a scam. USPS is a domestic agency. They aren't texting you from a burner phone in Manila.
The URL is the Smoking Gun
Take a long, hard look at the link. Scammers love to use "look-alike" domains. They’ll register things like:
- https://www.google.com/search?q=usps-post-office.com
- delivery-usps.online
- https://www.google.com/search?q=uspstools.com
- redeliver-usps.info
The only legitimate USPS website is usps.com. Anything—literally anything—before that ".com" that isn't a sub-domain of the main site is a fake. For example, tools.usps.com is fine. But usps.shipping-update.com is a trap. The last part of the domain (the part right before the .com or .org) is the actual owner. If it doesn't say "usps" right there, keep your thumb off the screen.
Why They Want Your 30 Cents
You might wonder why a scammer would bother sending a text just to ask for a "redelivery fee" of 35 cents. It seems too small to be a crime, right?
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That's the hook.
They don't want your 35 cents. They want you to pull out your credit card and type your name, number, CVV, and billing address into their fake form. Once you do that, they have your full financial profile. They’ll sell that data on a Telegram channel or use it to go on a shopping spree five minutes later. The small fee is just a psychological trick to make the request seem "reasonable" and low-risk.
The USPS never charges a fee for redelivery. If you missed a package, they’ll leave a slip on your door (the PS Form 3849). You can schedule a redelivery for free on the official site or just go pick it up.
Understanding the "Smishing" Ecosystem
I talked to a cybersecurity researcher last month who explained that these campaigns are often automated via "smishing kits." These are pre-packaged sets of software that allow a criminal to send out 50,000 texts in an hour.
They don't know your name. They don't know what you ordered. They are just casting a massive net, hoping that out of 50,000 people, a few hundred are actually expecting a package and will be distracted enough to click.
What a Real USPS Text Actually Looks Like
If you did sign up for alerts, here is how to know if USPS text is real:
- It will come from 28777.
- It will contain your specific tracking number (which you should already have).
- It will provide specific status updates like "Delivered" or "Accepted."
- It will never contain a link asking for money or personal details.
If you get a text from 28777, you can actually reply "STOP" to opt out, or "HELP" for more info. If you reply to a scammer's text? All you’re doing is confirming that your phone number is "active," which makes you a target for even more spam.
The "Informed Delivery" Factor
If you really want to stay safe, sign up for Informed Delivery through the official USPS website. It's a free service that sends you a daily email with grayscale photos of the mail arriving in your box that day.
It also tracks your packages.
By using the official app or dashboard, you bypass the need for SMS entirely. If you get a suspicious text, you can just open your Informed Delivery app. If the "problem" isn't listed there, the text is a lie.
What to Do if You Already Clicked
Don't panic. It happens. If you just clicked the link but didn't enter any data, you're likely okay, though your IP address and device type might have been logged by the scammer. Close the tab immediately and clear your browser cache.
However, if you entered your credit card information:
- Call your bank now. Don't wait until the morning. Tell them you’ve been a victim of a phishing scam. They need to cancel that card and issue a new one.
- Report the text. Forward the message to 7726 (which spells SPAM). This helps carriers block the sender.
- Email the USPIS. Send a screenshot of the text to
spam@uspis.gov. This helps federal investigators track the domains being used.
Actionable Steps to Protect Yourself
Security isn't about being a tech genius; it's about habits.
Start by treating every "service" text as a lie until proven otherwise. If "Netflix" says your account is suspended? Go to the app. If "USPS" says your address is wrong? Go to the official site. Never, ever use the link provided in a text message.
Keep your phone's software updated. Modern iPhones and Androids have built-in spam filters that catch a lot of this, but they only work if the OS is current.
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Finally, if a text creates a sense of "emergency"—like saying your package will be destroyed in 24 hours—that is a hallmark of a scam. The real Post Office is many things, but "efficiently threatening" isn't one of them. They’ll just leave your box at the station and wait for you to show up.
Next Steps for Your Safety:
- Check your recent text history and block any 10-digit numbers claiming to be USPS.
- Log into USPS.com and sign up for Informed Delivery to get official, secure updates on your mail.
- Delete the "Incomplete Address" texts immediately; do not reply to them, even to say "remove me."
By staying skeptical of every delivery notification, you turn yourself from a potential victim into a hard target. The scammers will move on to someone else who hasn't learned the signs yet.