Does USPS send text messages with links?

No. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says USPS won't text you unless you requested tracking updates with a tracking number, and that even then the text will not contain a link. A USPS text with a link is a scam.

Is the toll text I got real?

Almost certainly not. E-ZPass Group says a message from it claiming you owe a toll is a scam, and the FBI advises checking your account on the toll service's legitimate website instead. Some toll agencies' collection firms may text about large overdue balances, so check your account directly rather than through the text.

Does the DMV text you about tickets?

State DMVs such as Colorado's and Virginia's say they don't send texts demanding payment for tickets or fines. The FTC warns about texts claiming an overdue traffic ticket. Look up your state DMV's own website instead of using the link.

How can I tell if a link in a text is safe?

You can't prove a link is safe, but you can spot many fakes: check the name just before the first single slash in the address. If it doesn't end in the company's real address, don't open it. An app such as NoLinkTrap can show the real destination of short links and compare it with official company sites before you open it.

What should I do if I clicked a scam link?

If you only opened the page, close it and don't enter anything. If you paid, contact your card issuer or bank immediately. If you entered a password, change it on the real site. If you gave your Social Security number, go to IdentityTheft.gov.

Scams & Wi-Fi

Is This Text a Scam? How to Check USPS, FedEx, Toll, DMV and PayPal Text Links (2026)

NoDial Editorial ／ 2026-11-1212 min read

A text says your package is on hold, a toll is unpaid, a traffic ticket is overdue, or your PayPal or Apple account is locked — and there's a link to fix it. Most of these messages are scams: the U.S. Federal Trade Commission says people reported $470 million in losses to text scams in 2024, more than five times the 2020 figure, with fake USPS delivery texts the most reported and bogus toll notices in the top five. But a few companies do send real texts with links, so "never tap anything" isn't the whole answer. This guide shows how each company really contacts you, how to read where a link actually goes, and what to do if you already tapped.

NoLinkTrap: Scam Link CheckerSee where a link really goes before you open it

Company policies and reporting addresses are as published on each company's or agency's website, checked in November 2026. They can change; the Sources section links to each page.

1. The short answer

KEY POINT

Treat any unexpected text with a link as unverified. Don't tap it to "check." Instead, open the company's website or app yourself, the way you normally would, and look for the same notice there. If you want to know where a link goes before deciding, read the address — or let an app read it for you.

USPS doesn't text you unless you asked for tracking updates — and even then, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service says the message will not contain a link.
State DMVs say they don't text you to demand payment for tickets or fines.
E-ZPass Group says a message from it saying you owe a toll is a scam.
FedEx is the exception: it may text a secure link to pay duties and taxes on an international package. FedEx says to verify the message and amount with its FedEx Import Tool — open fedex.com yourself rather than using the text.
PayPal and Apple say not to tap links in texts that don't seem right, and never to give your password or verification code to someone who contacts you.

2. Why these texts work

The FTC's analysis of 2024 reports lists the most common text scams, and the top of the list is exactly what this guide covers: fake USPS delivery problems, plus bogus notices about unpaid tolls. In May 2026 the FTC added that reports of government imposter scams were up 40%, "thanks in part to messages about overdue tolls," naming E-ZPass, SunPass, FasTrak, and TxTag as programs scammers pretend to be. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center had already received more than 2,000 complaints about toll texts by April 2024.

They work because they're plausible. Many people are waiting for a package, most drivers have used a toll road, and a small amount — a few dollars for "redelivery" or a toll — doesn't feel worth questioning. The link then leads to a page that looks like the real company and asks for a card number, a login, or personal details.

3. How each company really texts you

The quickest test is to compare the text with what the company itself says it does. Here is what each one publishes, as of November 2026:

Company	Does it text you links?	Where to check instead
USPS	Only if you requested tracking texts — and "it will NOT contain a link"	usps.com
FedEx	May text a secure link to pay duties and taxes on international packages. Never asks for account credentials or identity details by unsolicited text	fedex.com (FedEx Import Tool)
UPS	If you're unsure a text is real, UPS says not to tap links	ups.com
Amazon	Says not to click links in suspicious texts	The Amazon app or website
PayPal	Says not to click links in texts that seem off; asks for your password only on its own login page	The PayPal app or paypal.com
Apple	Never asks for your password or verification codes to provide support	Settings on your device, or apple.com
State DMV	Colorado and Virginia DMVs say they don't text you about fines or to demand payment	Your state DMV's own website
Tolls	E-ZPass Group: a message from it saying you owe a toll is a scam. Some agencies' collection firms may text about large overdue balances	Your toll account's website

Two details matter. First, FedEx and some toll collection agencies (the Pennsylvania Turnpike says this of its collection agencies) do send real texts, so a link alone doesn't prove a scam — but in every case the company's advice is the same: check your account through the website you already know, not through the text. Second, the real addresses above are short and plain. Scam links usually aren't, which is what the next section is about.

4. How to read where a link really goes

You can often spot a fake link without opening it. In a text message the address is usually shown in full, exactly as the sender wrote it. Look at one thing: the name just before the first single slash (/). That part decides which website you'll land on. Everything else — words before it, words after it — is decoration the sender chose.

A link in a text	Where it really goes
https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction	usps.com — the name before the first slash ends in usps.com
https://usps.com-redelivery.example/track	com-redelivery.example — "usps.com" is only the start of the name
https://pay-fee.example/usps/redelivery	pay-fee.example — "usps" is after the slash, so it's just a folder name
https://fedx.com or https://fed-ex.com	Look-alike spellings — FedEx names these two as examples of fake addresses

The addresses in this table use the reserved name "example" (no real website can use it) and are for illustration only.

Watch for three more tricks:

Look-alike characters. The number 0 for the letter o, "rn" that reads as "m", or letters from another alphabet that look like English ones.
Short links. A shortened link hides the real address entirely, so you can't read it until something expands it.
Brand names in the wrong place. Amazon's advice is that real Amazon websites contain "amazon.com" — but a fake address can contain it too, as in the second row above. What counts is that the name before the first slash ends in the real address.

A real address doesn't make the request real, and a scam page can still have a padlock icon. Reading the address tells you where you'd land; it doesn't replace the next step.

5. The safest move: go to the company yourself

Every official source in this guide gives the same advice in different words. The FTC: "Use a phone number or website you know is real — not the info from the text." The FBI on toll texts: check your account using the toll service's legitimate website. UPS: type "ups.com" rather than using a link embedded in a message.

Close the text without tapping the link.
Open the company's app, or type its address yourself (usps.com, fedex.com, ups.com, paypal.com).
Sign in and look for the same alert: a held package, a balance due, a locked account.
If it isn't there, the text was fake. If it is, deal with it there.

For a DMV or a toll, search for your state's DMV or your toll program by name and use the official site in the results — don't reuse anything from the message.

6. Let your phone or an app check the link

Reading addresses by hand works, but it's easy to miss a look-alike letter on a small screen. Two kinds of help are available on Android:

Google Messages has spam and scam protection that identifies spam and phishing attempts, and it's on by default in standard protection mode. On select Android devices, Scam Detection adds further warnings — though Google notes it "may not catch every scam."
NoLinkTrap, an Android app from the team behind NoDial, checks the link itself. Set it as your default browser and links you tap in texts and email come to it first. It expands short links, unwraps links rewritten by email services, and shows the real destination in large letters before anything opens. Tap "Check if it's fake" and it compares the link with the official sites of well-known U.S. and Japanese companies — USPS, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, Apple, PayPal, major banks, E-ZPass, SunPass, FasTrak and others — and checks for look-alike characters, pages anyone can publish, and unusual address shapes.

NoLinkTrap gives one of three results: No known problems found, Caution, or This link is NOT followed by the company's name, with a button to open the real site instead. It never says a link is "safe," because no checker catches every scam. Its list of companies doesn't include state DMVs; for a DMV text it still shows the real destination and flags unusual addresses, but checking your state's own site (section 5) remains the answer.

7. If you already tapped the link

Opening a scam page is not the same as being scammed. What matters is what you did on it:

You only opened it. Close it. Don't enter anything, and don't download anything it offers.
You paid with a credit card. The FTC says to report it to the card issuer immediately.
You paid with a debit card. Report it to your bank or credit union immediately.
You gave your Social Security number. Go to IdentityTheft.gov.
You entered a password. Change it on the real site right away — and anywhere else you use the same password. Apple says to change your Apple Account password immediately if you entered it on a scam page.

Scam texts aren't the only version of this. The one-ring (wangiri) scam uses a missed call from abroad instead of a link, and the same rule applies: contact the company or number you already know, not the one that reached you.

8. Where to report a scam text

Any scam text: forward it to 7726 (SPAM), as the FTC recommends.
USPS: forward to 7726 and email spam@uspis.gov.
FedEx: forward to abuse@fedex.com.
PayPal: forward to phishing@paypal.com.
Apple: take a screenshot and email it to reportphishing@apple.com.
Amazon: report to reportascam@amazon.com.

Then delete the message. If the sender keeps texting from the same number, block it — see how to block unknown numbers on Android for the call side of the same problem.

9. FAQ

Does USPS send text messages with links?: No. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says USPS won't text you unless you requested tracking updates with a tracking number, and that even then the text will not contain a link. A USPS text with a link is a scam.
Is the toll text I got real?: Almost certainly not. E-ZPass Group says a message from it claiming you owe a toll is a scam, and the FBI advises checking your account on the toll service's legitimate website instead. Some toll agencies' collection firms may text about large overdue balances, so check your account directly rather than through the text.
Does the DMV text you about tickets?: State DMVs such as Colorado's and Virginia's say they don't send texts demanding payment for tickets or fines. The FTC warns about texts claiming an overdue traffic ticket. Look up your state DMV's own website instead of using the link.
How can I tell if a link in a text is safe?: You can't prove a link is safe, but you can spot many fakes: check the name just before the first single slash in the address. If it doesn't end in the company's real address, don't open it. An app such as NoLinkTrap can show the real destination of short links and compare it with official company sites before you open it.
What should I do if I clicked a scam link?: If you only opened the page, close it and don't enter anything. If you paid, contact your card issuer or bank immediately. If you entered a password, change it on the real site. If you gave your Social Security number, go to IdentityTheft.gov.

10. Summary

SUMMARY

Delivery, toll, DMV, and account-alert texts with links are the most reported text scams in the U.S. Don't use the link to check: open the company's app or type its address yourself. If you want to know where a link goes, read the name before the first slash — or let an app read it for you.

USPS texts never contain links; DMVs and E-ZPass Group don't text to demand payment.
FedEx and some toll collection firms do send real texts — check your account directly anyway.
The name before the first single slash decides where a link goes.
Already tapped? Only what you entered matters: card → issuer, password → change it, SSN → IdentityTheft.gov.
Report by forwarding to 7726, plus the company's own address.