As an 18-year-old who shops online way more than I probably should, I’m pretty used to getting tracking updates and delivery notifications. But recently, I started receiving text messages claiming that my package had been “lost in the mail,” and at first, they almost seemed believable. After looking more closely, though, I realized they were part of a growing scam that a lot of people—especially frequent online shoppers—are falling for.
One of the first things I noticed was how these messages often came through random group chats with people I didn’t know. Real delivery services definitely do not send updates that way. Another sign was the sender’s phone number. Almost every message started with a “+” followed by two numbers, like +65 or +84, which means the texts are coming from international sources. That alone should be a red flag.
The scam really becomes obvious once you open the message. The text usually sounds urgent and asks you to click a link to “verify your address” or “confirm your delivery information.” The link leads to a fake website designed to look like an official shipping page. Once you’re there, they ask for personal information like your credit card details or home address, pretending it’s necessary to fix the supposed delivery problem. In reality, the whole goal is to steal your information or money.
If I had slowed down and paid attention earlier, there were several ways I could’ve recognized these messages as fake:
- Legitimate delivery companies don’t use international numbers with +65, +84, etc.
- They also don’t send group texts with random people.
- The links looked slightly suspicious—unfamiliar domains, strange spellings, or formatting that felt off.
- I could’ve checked my package status through the store or the official delivery app instead of trusting a message from an unknown number.
- Sometimes I wasn’t even expecting a package, which should have made the whole thing impossible in the first place.
These “lost package” messages rely on catching people off guard, especially those of us who order things online all the time. I’m sharing this so my friends and family don’t fall for the same tricks. If you get a text like this, don’t click the link, don’t give any information, and double-check everything through official sources instead. It only takes a second to stay safe.
Wow! This is great information.
I’m glad it was useful!
Awesome website! Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much!
great now i can never get scammed
glad my article could help!
Great article! I’ll be sure to watch out for those things!
Thank you! And please do, those scams are dangerous!