Almost certainly. A surprise text saying a package couldn't be delivered and asking for a small fee through a link is a scam, and fake package-delivery texts were the most reported text scam of 2024 (FTC, 2025). Don't tap. Check tracking on the store's or carrier's own website or app instead.
Case #4 The Case of the Missing Package
Monday, 11:30 AM. Mom is weeding out pests.
Text from QUICKFERN PARCEL We missed you! Pay a $1.99 redelivery fee: quickfern-redeliver.top
HUP!
Mom: I didn't order a thing. And a $1.99 ‘fee’? Nothing costs $1.99 anymore.
SPLAT!
Mom: Forwarded to Twinge. Buzz off, you @#$% weed.
Twinge: Scam! That ‘fee’ is pure fertilizer.
Grocery store, 11:45 AM.
Text from TwingeScam check Good news: your mom checked a fake package-fee text with us. Scam. She didn't pay. Nothing lost.
Her daughter: Mom deadheaded a scammer. I just paid $7 for ‘artisan’ lettuce.
Invented examples. The domains are fake on purpose.
Your parcel is on hold due to an incomplete address. Update details and pay a $1.99 redelivery fee within 24h: parcel-redeliver.example
Delivery attempt failed. Your package will be returned to sender today. Confirm here: track-my-item.example/confirm
We could not deliver your package. Reply 1 to reschedule, then open the link to confirm your card for the $0.30 fee.
Red flags
You didn't order anything, or it doesn't name what the package is.
A tiny fee. $0.30 or $1.99 is how they get your card number. The FTC says these sites ask for a "redelivery fee" to get your card, and sometimes your Social Security number (FTC, 2025).
"Returned to sender today." A countdown.
No tracking number, or one that doesn't match anything in the store's own app.
A strange link, or a request to reply first to "activate" the link.
What to tell your parent
Everybody gets packages now, so everybody gets this text.
"If a text says a package is stuck and wants a fee, ignore the link. Open the store's app or the email from your order and check tracking there. If there's a real problem, it'll show up there. Want me to show you where your orders live?"
Moral of the story: a package problem never needs a fee by text.
Checklist: do this now
Check tracking on the store's or carrier's own site or app.
Don't pay a "redelivery fee" from a text.
Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM), then delete it.
Entered your card? Call the bank on the number on your card.
If you don't know, now you KNOW... ⭐🌈
If they already clicked or paid
Entered a card? Call the number on the back of the card, report the charge, and ask for a replacement card (FTC, 2026).
Entered a Social Security number? Go to IdentityTheft.gov for a step-by-step recovery plan (FTC, 2026).
Entered a password? Change it, and anywhere it's reused, and turn on two-factor authentication (FTC, 2026).
Does the Postal Service text you about deliveries? The FTC's advice is the same either way: don't use the link in a surprise text. Check tracking with the retailer you ordered from (FTC, 2025).
I really am waiting for a package. Could this one be real? Check the tracking number from your order email or the store's app. If that says it's fine, the text is fake.
It only asked for 30 cents. What's the harm? They aren't after the 30 cents. They're after the card number, and sometimes more (FTC, 2025).
Should I reply STOP? No. Don't reply. Forward it to 7726, report it as junk, and delete it.
Felt a Twinge? Text before you tap.
Twinge is a scam second opinion we're building. You forward the text and get a plain answer about what it looks like and what to do. Twinge never asks for passwords, codes or money. It's in a small free pilot, and the forwarding number isn't live yet. Join the waitlist at asktwinge.com. Checking for a parent? Choose "I'm the… Child." You'll send your parent the link from your own phone, and Twinge never texts them first. Their first text to Twinge is their opt-in.
Felt a Twinge? Text before you tap. Twinge is in a small free pilot: you forward the text, our engine checks it, and a real person sends you a plain answer.
twinge
