Reach your parcel by your own route
Handle every delivery message the same way, without ever having to judge whether a particular one is real.
A text arrives: a small fee is owed on a package, and here is the link. Somebody in the house is usually expecting something, which is the whole mechanism.
Being taken in by one says nothing about you except that you had ordered a birthday present.
Key points
- Carriers do not text strangers for money — the fee is bait and the card details are the purpose
- Never judge the message — reach your parcel by your own route instead
- 7726 for texts, reportphishing@apwg.org for emails, your bank if a card has been entered
What to remember
- Look behind the friendly name, and look where the link goes before touching it.
- Reach your parcel by a route you chose. Expecting one is what makes the message believable.
- The question is never “is this message real?” It is “can I get there without it?”
Try this
Install the app for whichever carrier your shopping usually arrives with, or bookmark usps.com. Having your own route ready is what makes ignoring the message effortless — you are not resisting a link, you already have a better one.
Practice: Reach your parcel by your own route. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.