How do I report a suspicious text message pretending to be USPS?

✓ Accepted answer

To report a suspicious text message claiming to be from USPS, you should immediately forward the message to 7789 (a dedicated US industry shortcode for reporting spam texts) and forward a copy of the email or text to [email protected] for the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Here are practical steps to protect your family and report the scam effectively:

• Verify the source: USPS only uses 5-digit short codes to send texts and never includes web links in official tracking messages. If a text demands action or contains a URL, it is a scam, regardless of the sender ID.
• Report to the industry: Forward the entire text message to 7789 to help carriers identify and block malicious numbers across the US mobile network.
• Report to the Postal Service: Email a screenshot of the message to [email protected]. The Postal Inspection Service uses these reports to track criminal operations and coordinate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
• Check your financial statements: If you accidentally clicked a link, monitor your credit and bank accounts for 30 days. Scammers often harvest data for financial fraud or identity theft.
• Enable filtering: Use built-in carrier features or third-party apps to filter unknown senders. In the UK, similar reporting can be done to the Mobile Phone Association (Mobiles.org) via 7726 or to Ofcom.

Treating these messages as low-effort phishing attempts and reporting them consistently helps authorities disrupt the networks behind these senior-targeted scams.

admin · 2026-10-14 10:53:23