Delivery Scams
UPS Scam Texts and Emails: How to Spot Them
Fake UPS notices ask for a customs charge or a redelivery fee. Here is how to check a parcel without touching the link.
Quick answer
Verify any UPS notice by taking the tracking number from your retailer's own order confirmation and entering it on ups.com, typed in yourself. UPS does not request payment or personal details by text for a standard delivery, and does not ask for card numbers to release a parcel. Fake notices commonly claim a small customs charge, an unpaid fee, or an address problem. Do not tap the link; delete and report the message.
Warning signs to look for
- A customs or duty charge on a domestic parcel
- An email attachment described as a shipping label, invoice, or delivery receipt
- Links to domains that merely contain 'ups' rather than ending in ups.com
- A notice for a parcel when you have nothing on the way
- A request to confirm your address and card details to reschedule
- Poor formatting, mismatched logos, or a reply-to on a free mail service
The customs-fee angle
UPS handles a great deal of cross-border shipping, so a message about duties and import charges sounds plausible in a way that a plain 'pay to receive your parcel' message does not. Genuine duty charges do exist, but they are billed through documented channels tied to a real shipment you can see on ups.com, and they are never collected through a link in an unexpected text. If you cannot find the charge attached to a real tracking number in your own order history, it is fake.
Attachments are a UPS-specific risk
Unlike most delivery scams, fake UPS emails frequently carry attachments described as shipping labels, invoices, or delivery receipts. These have historically been a common delivery route for malware, particularly archive files and documents that ask you to enable content. Genuine UPS tracking information does not need an attachment — the tracking number alone is sufficient. Treat any unexpected shipping attachment as hostile and do not open it.
How to verify a parcel safely
Go to your own order confirmation from the retailer and copy the tracking number from there. Type ups.com into your browser and paste it in. If you have a UPS My Choice account, sign in and look at your deliveries. Every genuine status appears there. If nothing matches, the message is fraudulent regardless of how it looks. Never call a number provided in the message; use the contact details on the UPS site.
What UPS asks customers to do
UPS runs a fraud-prevention page and asks customers to report suspicious emails, texts, and calls to its dedicated fraud reporting address rather than replying to them. Their guidance notes that UPS does not request payment or sensitive personal information through unsolicited messages. Forwarding scam texts to 7726 also reports them to your carrier.
If you already paid or opened an attachment
For payment: call your card issuer on the number on the card and ask them to block and reissue. For an opened attachment: disconnect the device from the internet, run a full antivirus scan, and change important passwords from a different device — starting with your email account. Report the incident at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and if a significant loss occurred, at ic3.gov.
Get it checked before you tap
If you are genuinely expecting a delivery and cannot tell whether the notice is real, forward the email to check@spamcheck.com. You will get a plain-English answer about the sender, the links, and any attachment before you act.
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
- I really am expecting a UPS parcel. Doesn't that make the text likely genuine?
- No. These messages are sent in bulk and coincide with real deliveries constantly. Always verify with the tracking number from the retailer on ups.com.
- Are customs charges ever real?
- Yes, for genuine international shipments — but they are tied to a real tracking number you can confirm on the carrier's own site, never collected through an unexpected link.
- Can I get malware from a fake shipping label PDF?
- It is possible, particularly with archive files and documents that prompt you to enable content. Do not open unexpected shipping attachments; check the tracking number instead.
- Is SpamCheck affiliated with UPS?
- No. SpamCheck is independent and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by United Parcel Service. 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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