Package delivery and unpaid toll texts

A short text about a package that could not be delivered or a toll you supposedly missed, with a link to fix it.

Red flags

If you hear or read any of these, stop and check with someone.

A link in a text message from a number you do not recognize
A tiny sum owed, small enough that paying seems easier than checking
You are pressed to pay today, before a late fee is added
The web address looks nearly right but not quite
You are not expecting a package, or you use a different toll account

What to do

Do not tap the link. Delete the message.
If you are expecting a package, open the delivery company's own app or type its address into your browser yourself.
For tolls, sign in to your account the way you normally would.
Never enter card details on a page you reached from a text message.

What they are after

The small sum is bait. The page it takes you to is built to capture your card number, and often your address and date of birth alongside it. The real cost arrives later, on a card that is now in circulation.

Reading a web address

Look at the part immediately before the first single slash. That is the real destination.

usps.com/tracking goes to USPS.
usps.com.track-parcel.info goes to track-parcel.info, which is not USPS.

Everything to the left is decoration that anyone can write.

The safe habit

Never travel to a website through a link somebody sent you when money is involved. Get there yourself, by opening the app on your phone, using a bookmark or typing the address. It takes 20 seconds and removes the whole category of risk.

Last updated Aug 18, 2026, 7:59 PM. Free to print and hand out. No permission needed.