USPS says my package is held for a customs fee, is this a scam?
Yes. A text saying your USPS package is held and you must pay a small customs fee at usps-redelivery.example within 24 hours is smishing. USPS doesn't demand fees by SMS through look-alike domains, and it doesn't hold packages behind a same-day countdown. The tiny fee is the hook: the payment page harvests your card, and the small amount is designed to feel too trivial to question.
Part of our guide: How to avoid online shopping scams →
Got a message like this? Paste it here →
Most people have a package in transit at any given time, so a "held parcel" text feels plausible and personally relevant. The fee is kept tiny on purpose: a couple of dollars feels too small to bother disputing, which is exactly what gets a card typed onto usps-redelivery.example before the domain is questioned.
Illustrative example of the pattern, not a real message someone received.
How to verify it yourself
- Don't tap the link. Track your package at usps.com typed by hand using the tracking number from your actual order.
- Read the domain: USPS uses usps.com, not usps-redelivery.example or any extra-word host.
- USPS collects any real fees at the door or your local post office, not through a texted link with a deadline.
- Never enter card details on a page opened from a delivery text, no matter how small the fee.
Common questions
is usps-redelivery.example a real USPS website
No. USPS uses usps.com. usps-redelivery.example is a look-alike built to capture your card through a fake fee.
does USPS text you to pay a customs fee
USPS doesn't demand fees via SMS links to another domain. Real fees, if any, are handled at delivery or your local post office.
why is USPS asking for a small fee to release my package
It isn't, the scammer is. The tiny amount is deliberate, low enough that you pay without scrutinizing the usps-redelivery.example domain.
how do I track a real USPS package safely
Go to usps.com yourself and enter your tracking number, or use a tracking link from the retailer you actually ordered from, never the number in a surprise text.
If you already responded
- If you entered your card, call your card issuer using the number on the card and consider a replacement.
- Watch your statement for small "test" charges that often follow this kind of theft.
- Report the SMS at reportfraud.ftc.gov and forward it to 7726 (SPAM).
Source: FTC, How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams
Hunch is not affiliated with USPS. USPS is named only to describe a scam that impersonates it; the real USPS does not send these messages.