- A new scam -text is imitation of UPS and warns people of unanswered deliveries
- If you answer, you will be sent to a fake site that steals your personal data
- You may remain safe by deleting the message if you are at all suspicious
If you have recently received an SMS from UPS, be careful: it may be a scam. You must be particularly careful if the message has come out of the blue or if you do not expect a package as Phishers and scammers are in search of your private info. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep yourself safe.
Specifically, the UPS text message warns that you have missed a suspected package delivery and that if you do not answer, the package will be returned to the sender. In reality, there is no package – something given by the lack of delivery number in the message. In other words, the scammers send carpet texts without detail in an attempt to fool any users they may be able to.
The deception becomes more suspicious, the closer you look. The messages in question contain a link that goes to a fraudulent site, but because the texts come from an unknown sender, many of the best phones will disable the link. For example, in iOS, links are not links if they come from new senders.
However, as soon as you reply to a message, the link is re -enabled. To encourage this, the scammers who send UPS messages encourage you to respond with the letter y – when done, this activates the link. The messages also tell you to copy and paste the link into a web browser, just in case. Answering not only reintroducing the link-it also tells the scammer that your number is active, which potentially opens you for further targeting.
What the scams really are after is your personal information as they encourage you to enter your details on their site. This can then be used for identity theft and other criminal activity. It is unnecessary to say that if you receive this message or are suspicious of its intentions, do not answer or follow its embedded links. Instead, just delete it and report it as spam.
How to remain safe
Whether you expect a UPS package, don’t answer messages like this one. Instead, go to the official UPS site and check the status of your package there using your specified tracking number.
Telltale signs on a scam message are the lack of identifying information (such as a packing number or your name and address) and a disabled link to a site with a suspicious address, such as one containing an unusual domain extension (such as .pro or .xyz), incorrect spelled words or extra characters such as hyphens not found in the official URL. If any of these items are present, delete the message and report it as spam. You can also report it at the FBIS Complaint Center for Internet Crime Center by going to IC3.GOV.
Fidus messages will often try to hurry into a decision by applying pressure and including threats. They can tell you that you will be fined or lose the supposed package if you do not respond. This is meant to make you act too quickly and not believe your decision through. If a message contains something similar, take a moment to read it again and think clearly if it is likely to be real.
Both iOS and Android have tools to help you fight scams. Apart from reporting them as spam, both the Apple Message app and Google messages are now delivered with built-in spam detection that can automatically ban false texts so they never reach you. The latest iOS 26 update also has a call screening feature that requires unknown callers to identify before they can call you, and this is something that is also found in Android.
Vigilance is the key to avoiding text fraud as, despite the best efforts from companies like Apple and Google, there are definitely some messages that slip through the web. If you get a suspicious text, check out your stomach-weighing text you to activate a strange looking link? Is it too guard without identifying details like tracking numbers? Don’t panic if it threatens you – instead, take a breath and ask yourself if it feels. If it does, exile it to the spam folder.
