That Text From "USPS" or Your Bank? Here's How to Spot a Scam

If your phone has buzzed lately with a text about a package you don't remember ordering, a toll bill you've never heard of, or "suspicious activity" on your bank account, you're not alone. Text scams cost Americans an estimated $470 million in 2024, according to the Federal Trade Commission — more than five times what people lost to the same kind of scam back in 2020. These messages work because they're built to catch you off guard, on the one device you check dozens of times a day, in the few seconds before you really think about what you just read.

Here's what's actually true: almost all of these texts follow one of a handful of well-worn scripts. Once you recognize the pattern, they get a lot easier to catch — even on a busy day when you're only half paying attention.

The five scam texts showing up most right now

1. The fake package delivery

A text claims to be from USPS, UPS, or FedEx saying a delivery failed or needs a small fee to be released. The link goes to a fake site designed to look like the real one, built to collect your card number or personal details. Real carriers don't text you asking for payment to release a package.

2. The job that pays before you've done any work

Known as a "task scam," this one offers easy pay for simple online tasks, like rating products. Early small payouts feel real, which is the point — it builds trust before you're asked to pay a fee to "unlock" bigger earnings that never come.

3. The fake fraud alert from your bank or Amazon

A message warns of suspicious activity and urges you to call a number or tap a link to "secure" your account. Scammers then talk victims into moving money into an account they control, sometimes posing as a bank fraud department on the phone that follows. Your real bank will never ask you to move your own money to keep it safe.

4. The toll road you supposedly forgot to pay

Texts impersonating E-ZPass or other toll programs claim an unpaid balance and threaten late fees, then ask for a card number or even a Social Security number to "resolve" it. Toll agencies bill by mail, not by text with a payment link attached.

5. The "wrong number" that isn't

A friendly stranger texts as if they meant to reach someone else, and when you reply, a conversation starts. Weeks of casual chatting later, they mention an investment or trading app that's making them money. It's a setup, and the app is fake — this pattern has led to some of the largest individual losses the FTC tracks.

The red flags they all share

Underneath the different disguises, these scams reuse the same handful of tricks: a false sense of urgency ("act now or lose access"), a generic greeting instead of your actual name, an unexpected message about something you never signed up for, a request to confirm personal or financial details, and a link that asks you to log in or pay. As the FTC puts it plainly: legitimate companies won't text you a link to update your payment information.

What to actually do when one shows up

Don't tap the link, even out of curiosity — just opening a scam page can sometimes be enough to start collecting information about your device. If the text claims to be from a company or bank you actually use, close the message and go directly to their real app or website, or call the number printed on your card, to check if anything is actually wrong. Genuine account issues will still be there when you check the honest way; fake ones disappear.

After that, forward the message to 7726 (which spells SPAM) — this reports it to your carrier at no cost and helps them block similar texts for everyone. Then delete it and block the sender. If you already clicked a link or shared information, don't be embarrassed — these scams are professionally designed to fool careful people. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and if you shared banking or card details, call your bank right away to flag the account.

None of this requires being suspicious of every text you get. It just means treating any message that creates urgency around money, deliveries, or account security as a cue to slow down for ten seconds and verify it independently, rather than through the link the text itself provided. That one habit closes off almost every version of this scam, no matter what name it's wearing this month.