A “Your package could not be delivered” email can feel urgent. It names a delivery you might really be expecting, and it asks you to click one link to sort it out. That is exactly what makes it such a popular scam.
This guide covers the email version of the delivery scam. If you have been getting the same kind of message as a text on your phone instead, our guide on is a package delivery text a scam covers that version in detail.
By the end of this article, you will know the signs that separate a fake shipping email from a real one, and a simple habit that lets you check any delivery without ever clicking a link in an email again.
Is That Shipping Confirmation Email a Scam?
Treat any delivery email that asks you to click a link and enter information as suspicious until you confirm it a different way. Real retailers and shipping carriers almost never ask you to pay a fee, confirm a card number, or “verify your address” through a link in an unexpected email.
Scammers send millions of these emails because they cost almost nothing to send and they only need a small number of people to click. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s guidance on phishing, scammers copy the look of a real company’s emails closely, including logos and layout, so the message can look convincing even to a careful reader.
Plain talk: phishing
Phishing means a fake email, text, or website made to look like it is from a company or person you trust, so you will type in personal details or click a harmful link.
How the Fake Shipping Email Scam Works
The message usually follows a pattern:
- The subject line says something like “Delivery Exception” or “We could not deliver your package.”
- The email claims to be from a carrier such as FedEx, UPS, or USPS, or sometimes from the retailer itself.
- It gives a vague reason, like an incomplete address or a “customs fee,” and includes a button or link to “reschedule delivery” or “pay the remaining fee.”
- The link goes to a fake page that either asks for your card details or asks you to log in, which hands your username and password straight to the scammer.
- Some versions attach a file labeled as a “shipping label” or “invoice.” Opening it can install harmful software on your device.
FedEx’s own fraud prevention page describes this same pattern, including fake delivery failure notices with attachments and requests for payment, and notes that scam emails often come from addresses that only look similar to the real company, such as “fedx.com” instead of “fedex.com.”
Red Flags in a Fake Shipping Email
| What to check | Real emails usually | Scam emails often |
|---|---|---|
| Sender’s address | Matches the company’s real domain exactly | Uses a misspelled or unrelated domain |
| Your details | Includes your real order or tracking number | Vague, with no order number, or a fake-looking one |
| Money request | Never asks for gift cards or wire transfers | Asks for a small “redelivery” or “customs” fee |
| Links | Go to the company’s real website | Go to an unfamiliar web address when you hover over them |
| Tone | Calm, factual | Urgent, pushes you to act “within 24 hours” |
Safety tip
Never call a phone number that only appears inside a suspicious email or text. Scammers sometimes staff fake “customer service” lines that sound completely normal and will ask you for the same information the email was trying to get.
How to Check a Delivery Without Clicking the Email Link
This is the single habit that makes these scams harmless. It takes about the same amount of time as clicking the link, and it is always safe.
- Do not click any link or button in the email.
- Open your web browser and go directly to the retailer’s website by typing the address yourself, such as amazon.com, or use the retailer’s own app if you have it installed.
- Sign in to your account the normal way.
- Go to your orders or purchase history and find the item you are expecting.
- Check the tracking status shown there. It will match what a courier is actually doing, no email needed.
- If you ordered through a specific carrier and want to track it directly, go to that carrier’s own website (such as fedex.com, ups.com, or usps.com) and enter the tracking number yourself, rather than the one from the email.
Try this
Save the retailer’s website and your main carrier’s tracking page as bookmarks or home screen shortcuts now, before you get a suspicious email. That way “go to the real site” is always just one tap away.
If your account shows no order matching the email at all, you have your answer: the email is fake, and there is nothing to reschedule or pay for.
What a Real Delivery Problem Looks Like
Genuine delivery notices exist. A courier might leave a card at your door, or a retailer’s app might show a real hold on an order because of a wrong apartment number. The difference is where the information comes from.
A real notice will match details you already have, such as the order number showing in your own account. It will not ask you to pay by gift card, cryptocurrency, or wire transfer to “release” a package. Those payment types are hard to trace and a common thread across many kinds of scams, not just delivery ones.
Say this
If a parent or older relative calls you about a delivery email, you can say: “Do not click anything in that email. Let’s open the Amazon app together and look up the order instead. If it is not listed there, the email is fake.”
What to Do If You Already Clicked
If you clicked the link but did not enter any information, close the browser tab and do not enter anything on the page that opened.
If you did type in a password, card number, or other details, act quickly:
- Change the password for that account right away, and for any other account using the same password.
- Contact your bank or card provider if you entered payment details, so they can watch for or block charges.
- Run a security scan if you downloaded or opened an attachment.
- Follow the full steps in our 10 minute checklist for after clicking a scam link.
How to Report a Fake Shipping Email
Reporting takes a minute and helps the real companies shut these senders down faster.
- Forward a fake USPS delivery email to [email protected], then delete it, as recommended by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
- Forward a fake FedEx email to [email protected], as listed on FedEx’s fraud prevention page.
- Most carriers and major retailers list a similar reporting address on their own site’s fraud or security page.
- You can also report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission. Our guide on where to report a scam lists the right agency for the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.
Reporting the email is separate from deleting it. Forward it first if you can, then delete it so you are not tempted to open it again later.
A Simple Rule That Covers Every Version of This Scam
Whether the message arrives by email, text, or even a phone call, the safest habit stays the same: never use the contact details, links, or phone numbers inside an unexpected delivery message. Go to the retailer’s or carrier’s own website or app on your own, the way you normally would, and check from there.
This one habit also protects against similar scams involving fake bank alerts, fake bills, and fake prize notifications, since they all rely on the same trick of getting you to click before you think.
If keeping track of these scam patterns feels like a lot, our Scam-Stopper Kit (free when you join our email letter) puts the main warning signs on one printable page you can keep near the computer.
Where to go from here
Fake shipping emails are just one pattern among many that scammers use to create urgency and get a fast click. Our book, Scam Proof, walks through this pattern and the others older adults run into most often, with the same calm, step-by-step approach used in this article.
