Will the USPS Ever Text You? Only If You Asked First

Yes, the USPS does send text messages, but only when you asked for them first. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Postal Service's own law enforcement arm, says the USPS texts tracking updates only after a customer requests tracking with a tracking number, and that those texts will not contain a link. So if a "USPS" text shows up that you never asked for, or it has a link in it, you can treat it as a scam without reading another word.

If you didn't ask the USPS to text you, the USPS didn't text you.

That one rule matters more than usual right now. Holiday shopping is starting, more packages are heading to homes across DC, Maryland and Virginia, and a "your parcel is held" message feels believable when you really are waiting on one. Here is what the official sources say, and a quick way to check any delivery text.

Will the USPS ever text you without being asked?

No. According to the Postal Inspection Service's smishing page (last updated May 19, 2025), USPS tracking texts and emails go out only after you request tracking with a tracking number, either on the website or by text. "Smishing" is simply phishing by text message: a message that pretends to be from someone you trust so you will tap a link and type in card or personal details.

The same page adds two details that are easy to miss:

• USPS tracking is free. A text asking you to pay a small fee to "update your address" or "schedule redelivery" is not how the real service works.
• The USPS sends texts from 5-digit short codes, not from ordinary 10-digit phone numbers or email addresses.

A lot of pages online say "the USPS never texts you." That is not quite right, and the wrong version can cause harm: someone who signed up for alerts may get a real text, decide it's fake, and miss a delivery update. The accurate rule is narrower and more useful: the USPS texts you only if you started it.

Is USPS text tracking legit?

Yes. USPS Text Tracking is a real, official service, and its own help page explains how it works:

• You start it. You text your tracking number to 28777 (which spells 2USPS), and the reply gives you the latest status. You can also sign up on the USPS Tracking page for a single tracking number.
• You confirm it. On first use you are asked to opt in. If you sign up on the website, you must reply YES to a welcome message before updates start.
• You can stop it. Texting STOP to 28777 ends all of your active text tracking. Sending STOP with one tracking number stops just that one.
• Your phone plan may charge. USPS says standard message and data rates may apply.

So a real USPS tracking text has a clear history: you sent a tracking number to 28777 or signed up on usps.com, and you said YES. If none of that happened, the text is not from the USPS.

Are the USPS texts real if they have a link?

Not if the link claims to fix a delivery problem. The Postal Inspection Service is blunt: tracking texts you requested "will NOT contain a link," and an unsolicited delivery text with a link is smishing. If you have not asked for tracking on a specific package, its advice is not to click.

This is exactly how the scam makes money. The Federal Trade Commission looked at reports from 2024 and published what it found in April 2025:

The FTC describes the pattern plainly: the text claims to be from the USPS, reports a problem with your delivery, and links to a fake site made to look like the real one. Many people paid a tiny "redelivery fee." The fee was never the point; the goal was to capture a card number or Social Security number. The FTC also notes that most fraud goes unreported, so the real losses are likely higher than the figure above.

How do you check a delivery text in 10 seconds?

Run any "package" text through these questions, in order. One "no" or one red flag is enough to stop.

1. Did I text a tracking number to 28777, or sign up for this exact package on usps.com? If not, it is not the USPS.
2. Is there a link? A requested USPS tracking text does not contain one, per the Postal Inspectors.
3. Is it asking for money? USPS tracking is free. Any "fee" to redeliver, release or reschedule is a red flag.
4. Does it come from a long phone number or an email address? The USPS uses 5-digit short codes for texts.
5. Is it rushing you? "Today only," "final notice" and "will be returned" are pressure, not information.

If you want to know where a package really is, don't use anything in the message. The FTC's advice is to contact the company through a website or phone number you already know is genuine. For the USPS, that means typing usps.com yourself, or texting the tracking number from your own receipt to 28777. For an order from any store, open your account on that store's site or app.

This also applies to the other text scams the FTC ranked high for 2024, including fake unpaid toll notices. Drivers in our region get plenty of real toll bills, which makes a fake one easy to believe. The same check works: never pay from a link in a text; go to the official site yourself.

What should you do if you already clicked?

Clicking is common and fixable. Here's what the Postal Inspection Service and the FTC suggest:

• If you only opened the link, the Postal Inspection Service still says to notify your bank or card company, even if you didn't enter anything.
• If you typed in a card number, that same call to your card company is urgent: tell them what you entered and where.
• Report the text. Forward it to 7726 (it spells SPAM) so your mobile carrier can block similar messages. For a fake USPS text, also email spam@uspis.gov: paste the message text into a new email (don't click the link), and include your name, a screenshot that shows the sender's number and date, and whether you clicked, lost money or shared personal information.
• Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Reports are how the FTC was able to publish the figures above.
• Turn on your phone's spam filter. The FTC suggests using your phone's built-in filtering or the blocking tools your carrier offers.

If you were asked to pay in an odd way, our guide to which payment methods scammers use explains why that matters. If the bait was a "refund" instead of a package, see how to spot the overpaid refund trap.

The bottom line

The USPS does text people, but only people who asked, and the Postal Inspectors say those texts carry no link. Everything else about a scam text, from the urgent tone to the tiny fee, is designed to hurry you past that one simple question: did I ask for this?

When you shop with us, questions about orders, pickup and payment are answered on our FAQ page, so you never need to trust a link in a text to find out. When you're ready to browse, take a look at Buy Now or the current auctions.

Know someone who is waiting on holiday packages? Send them this one before the "your parcel is held" texts reach them.