Delivery Scams
FedEx Scam Texts and Emails: How to Spot Them
Fake FedEx messages promise a tracking update and end with a card form. Here is how to check a shipment the safe way.
Quick answer
Take the tracking number from the retailer's own order confirmation and check it on fedex.com, typed in yourself. FedEx does not request payment, card details, or personal information through unsolicited texts and emails about a delivery. Messages offering a 'free gift' for completing a survey after a delivery, or asking for a small fee to reschedule, are scams. Do not tap the link — delete and report the message.
Warning signs to look for
- A 'set delivery preferences' or 'reschedule' link in an unexpected text
- A survey offering a free reward that requires a card for shipping
- A tracking number that does not resolve on fedex.com
- Sender domains that are not fedex.com
- A message about a package you have no record of ordering
- A demand for a fee before the parcel can be released
The delivery-preferences lure
The most common fake FedEx text says a shipment is waiting on your delivery preferences and offers a link to set them. It works because FedEx genuinely offers delivery-preference features, so the request is not obviously strange. The linked page copies FedEx branding, asks for your address to 'confirm', then adds a small fee and a card form. As with other delivery scams, the fee is a pretext for harvesting the card details rather than a real charge.
The free-gift survey variant
A second pattern congratulates you on a completed delivery and offers a reward for a short survey. At the end, you are asked to pay a nominal shipping charge for the 'gift', which means entering card details — and often agreeing to a recurring subscription buried in the terms. Legitimate carriers do not give away products in exchange for surveys sent by text, and no genuine reward requires your card number.
How to verify a shipment safely
Open your order confirmation from the retailer and copy the tracking number from there. Type fedex.com into your browser yourself and paste it in, or sign in to FedEx Delivery Manager if you use it. Genuine shipment status, holds, and preference options all appear there. If you have nothing in transit, there is nothing to check. Do not call a number from the message; use the contact details on the official site.
What FedEx asks customers to do
FedEx publishes guidance on fraudulent emails, texts, and calls and asks customers to report them to its dedicated abuse address rather than responding. Its guidance states FedEx does not request payment or personal information by unsolicited message in exchange for transporting a package. Forwarding scam texts to 7726 reports them to your mobile carrier as well.
If you already entered card details
Call your card issuer on the number on the card, report the details as entered on a fraudulent page, and ask for a block and reissue. Review your statement for small test charges and for any recurring subscription that may have started. Report the incident at reportfraud.ftc.gov. If a substantial loss occurred, file at ic3.gov as well.
When you cannot tell
Forward the message to check@spamcheck.com and let someone look at the sender and links before you decide. You will get a plain-English answer explaining what is safe and what is not.
SpamCheck is not affiliated with or endorsed by the companies mentioned in this guide. Brand names are used only to help consumers identify potential impersonation scams.
Frequently asked questions
- Why do these texts arrive when I am actually expecting a parcel?
- Coincidence at scale. Millions of these messages go out daily, so a large share reach someone with a delivery pending. Timing is not evidence.
- Is it safe to enter just my address to reschedule?
- Do not. The address page is the first step of a form that ends in a card request, and the details you enter make later impersonation more convincing.
- I clicked but closed the page immediately. What should I do?
- Nothing serious. Do not return to the page, and run a scan if a file downloaded. Entering data is what causes harm.
- Is SpamCheck affiliated with FedEx?
- No. SpamCheck is independent and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by FedEx. The name is used only to help identify impersonation.
Sources
SpamCheck provides informational risk assessments and cannot guarantee that any message is completely safe. When money or sensitive information is involved, independently contact the organization using a trusted phone number or website.
About SpamCheck
SpamCheck helps people understand suspicious emails by letting them forward the message to check@spamcheck.com and receive a plain-English analysis. This guide was published by SpamCheck and written and reviewed by the SpamCheck Editorial Team.
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