UPS Text Scam Examples

Some examples of UPS text scams include confirming details about a fake delivery, fake package delivery notifications, fake package delivery fee requests, fraudulent suspicious activity on your UPS account or an error with a delivery. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in 2023, over $650 million was lost to imposter scams, including UPS text scams.

Keep reading to find out what different UPS text scams look like and how you can stay protected against this kind of scam.

1. Asking you to confirm details related to the delivery

This kind of text scam will ask you to click on a link to confirm details about your delivery, including the shipping address or any delivery instructions. You should never click on this link because doing so could immediately download malware, which will infect your device and potentially send your sensitive information to a cybercriminal. This link could also take you to a spoofed website, which is a website that appears legitimate at first glance. However, a spoofed website is a method for cybercriminals to trick you into entering your login credentials, credit card or other sensitive information in order to steal it from you.

2. Notifying you about a fake UPS package delivery

You might receive a text notifying you that a package delivery was attempted and you need to reschedule it, or that your package is being held at a UPS facility. Most of the time you receive this text, there’s a good chance you don’t even have a package on the way, so you will know immediately that this is a scam. Similar to the scenario above, this text scam will feature a link that urges you to click on it, and the cybercriminal hopes that you will provide your personal information to “reschedule” the package delivery, which doesn’t actually exist.

3. Claiming you need to pay a package delivery fee

This notification will alert you that an additional payment must be made for UPS to deliver your package. Generally, this kind of text will provide you with a link where you can pay, but once you enter your information, it will be sent to a cybercriminal. Remember that UPS will never charge you additional fees if you have already paid for your package to be delivered.

4. Alerting you of suspicious activity on your UPS account

If you ever receive a text from UPS that you need to update your account information due to suspicious activity, do not click the link. By clicking the link the text provides, you will be led to a spoofed website that appears like UPS’s website. However, entering your information on this website will lead to your real UPS account being compromised and put your login credentials in the hands of cybercriminals. A better solution to check whether your UPS account has had suspicious activity is by going directly to the official UPS website.

5. Alleging that something went wrong with your delivery

[design idea: it’s a message screen and it says “UPS: We were unable to deliver your package since there was no one present to sign for the delivery. Your package was returned to the warehouse. Click here for your new tracking number.”]

A text that looks like this is designed to trick you into clicking the link to your new tracking number. The text might give you different reasons why your package couldn’t be delivered, such as no one being home to receive the package or an additional delivery fee that was unpaid. Similar to the examples above, the link in this text may be a malicious website where the cybercriminal wants you to provide your login credentials or credit card information so they can steal it.

Signs of a UPS text scam

Now that you’ve seen the most common examples of UPS text scams, here are some signs you should be aware of that a UPS text message is actually a scam:

• You aren’t expecting a package from UPS
• The text strongly urges you to click on a link
• The text claims you need to pay an additional fee
• The text doesn’t come from an official UPS number
• The updated tracking number sent over text is a fake number
• If you click the link in the text, you get sent to a website that isn’t UPS

How to stay protected against UPS text scams

Luckily, there are several easy ways to stay protected against UPS text scams.

Track all your UPS deliveries on the official UPS website

After you receive confirmation of your delivery through UPS, enter the tracking number they provide into the official UPS tracking tool. By tracking your package on the official UPS website, you will receive an accurate update on your package’s delivery status.

Never click unsolicited links in messages

Instead of clicking unsolicited links in text messages, go to the official UPS website and enter your tracking number. As we saw in some of the examples above, cybercriminals will try to lure you into clicking a link to infect your device with malware or steal your personal information. To check on the delivery status of your package, always visit UPS’s official website directly.

You can check that a link is safe by copying and pasting it into a URL checker, such as Google Transparency Report. Be careful not to accidentally click on the link while copying and pasting because this would defeat the entire purpose of checking the link’s safety.

Secure your UPS account with a strong password and MFA

Make sure your UPS account is safe by using a strong password. You can create a strong password by making it at least 16 characters long and using uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Even though using your pet’s name or birthdate makes a password easy to remember, a strong password should not contain any personal information that a cybercriminal could find online. 

An additional safety measure you should take to protect your UPS account is enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). The goal of using MFA is to add an extra layer of security to your account that will require you to provide more than one way to verify your identity. That way, if a cybercriminal did have your login credentials, they would not have full access to your account because the second authentication factor would be something only you know or have access to.

Contact UPS directly if you receive a suspicious text message

If you ever have any suspicions about a text claiming to be from UPS, contact UPS directly to verify whether or not the text came from them. You can contact UPS directly about any suspicious text, call or email you receive from someone claiming to be UPS by visiting their online Help and Support Center.

You should also know that a real UPS text will come from the following numbers: 94601, 69877 or 48515. If you receive a text from a number that does not match these options, it is not UPS.

Don’t fall for UPS text scams

Even if you have not fallen for a UPS text scam, you should still be aware of how quickly cybercriminals are improving in their impersonations. If you do fall for a UPS text scam, you should immediately change the password to your UPS account. Using Keeper^® Password Manager, not only can you create a strong and unique password for your UPS account, but you can also store your login credentials in a secure, digital vault.

Start a free 30-day trial of Keeper Password Manager today to protect all of your online accounts, including UPS, from becoming compromised.