📦 Package & Toll Fee Text Scams

"USPS: Your package is held. Pay $1.99 redelivery fee: usps-track-delivery.com" — or — "You have an unpaid toll of $6.50. Pay now to avoid a $50 fine." You didn't order anything. You don't remember any toll. Both are scams — among the most-sent texts in America.

Why these work so well

The amounts are tiny — $1.99, $6.50. It feels harmless to just pay. But the link leads to a fake website that steals your credit card number. And once scammers know your number responds, they sell it to other criminals. One click invites a flood.

The dead giveaways

• You weren't expecting a package — or the "toll" is in a state you've never driven in
• The link looks "almost right": usps-track-package.com, ezpass-toll-pay.net — real sites are usps.com, ezpass.com, etc.
• It came from a random phone number, not a short official code
• Urgency: "pay within 12 hours or else"
• It asks for card details to release a package — real delivery companies never do this

The simple rule

Delivery companies and toll agencies do not ask for money by text message. USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL never text you payment links. Toll agencies bill by mail or through accounts you set up yourself. Any text asking for payment is a scam — delete it.

What to do

1. Don't click the link. Not even "to check."
2. Don't reply — not even STOP. Replying confirms your number is active.
3. Delete the text and block the number.
4. Forward it to 7726 (SPAM) — this reports it to your phone carrier, free.
5. Expecting a real package? Track it in the retailer's official app or website — never through a text link.

Sources: FTC Consumer Advice on smishing; USPS official guidance (usps.com never requests payment by text). Last updated October 2026.