September 14, 2026

Is This Text a Scam? Six Things to Check Before You Reply

"USPS: your package could not be delivered due to an incomplete address. Update here to reschedule."

You did not order anything. Or perhaps you did, which is exactly what the sender is counting on.

Consumers reported losing $470 million to scams that started with a text message in 2024, according to the FTC. That is five times the 2020 figure. The most commonly reported were fake delivery notices, bogus job offers, phony bank fraud alerts, unpaid toll demands, and "wrong number" messages that turn friendly and steer people into investments.

Texts are not the only route. The FTC reports that more money is lost to scams beginning on social media than through any other form of contact, so the checks below apply just as well to a message that arrives in Facebook or Instagram.

Six things worth checking.

1. It arrived unexpectedly

A delivery notice you were not expecting deserves a closer look. The same goes for a toll demand from a road you have not driven, or a fraud alert from a bank you do not use.

2. It gives you a deadline

"Within 24 hours." "Final notice." "Your account will be suspended today."

A deadline is there to get you to act before you check. When you see one, that is the moment to slow down rather than speed up.

3. It wants you to use its link

A link can take you to a fake sign-in or payment page that looks convincing.

Do not tap it, even to look. Check your account through the company's own app or a website address you already know. If you cannot confirm the request there, call the company on a number you already trust, such as the one on the back of your card.

Some legitimate organizations do send texts, so the channel alone cannot tell you whether a message is genuine. The IRS, for example, sends certain texts to people who signed up for them, though it does not text asking for payment or account details. That is why verifying independently beats trying to judge the message itself.

4. A familiar name in a link does not prove who owns it

Scammers can put a company's name anywhere in a web address.

Take amazon.com.verify-order-id88.net. The site you would actually land on is verify-order-id88.net. The "amazon.com" at the front is decoration. A company name after a slash does not prove ownership either.

Others in the same family: an extra word, like chase-secure-alerts.com. A changed ending, like usps.co where you expected usps.com. A hyphen that does not belong, like apple-support.net.

Web addresses can be hard to interpret, which is why the habit in point three is the safer one.

5. It asks you to pay in an unusual way

A request for gift card numbers to pay a debt, settle a fine, or protect your money is a scam. Gift cards are for gifts.

If an unexpected message asks for a wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or a payment-app transfer to someone you have not met, verify the request independently before paying anything.

6. It asks you to keep it quiet

"Do not discuss this case." "Your family may be involved."

If someone asking for money tells you to hide the payment from your family or your bank, stop and get help checking the request.

Do not reply

Do not answer a suspected scam text, even to tell the sender to stop. Replying can signal that your number is active and encourage more scam messages.

Before you report or block anything: if you lost money, shared personal information, or were threatened, save the conversation first. Screenshot it, including the sender's number and the dates. Some reporting options remove the messages, and you may be asked for them later.

Once the evidence is saved, you can forward the text to 7726, which spells SPAM, to report it to your carrier. Then report the sender in your messaging app and block them.

If you already clicked or paid

If you paid, contact the company that handled the payment immediately. That may be your bank, card issuer, payment app, wire service, gift card issuer, or cryptocurrency provider. Report the scam and ask whether the payment can be stopped or refunded. Keep gift cards and their receipts.

If you entered a password, change it through the real website or app, including anywhere you reused it, and turn on two-factor authentication.

If you installed anything or gave someone remote access, use a different device you trust to secure your accounts, and get help checking the affected device.

If Social Security or other identity details were exposed, follow the steps at IdentityTheft.gov.

Report the scam at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and at ic3.gov if money was lost.

If you are not sure

Paste the message into Shieldle's Message Review and you will get a risk level, the main red flag, and an explanation of what looks wrong. It is part of a subscription, with the first week free, and you set up an account before using it. It reads only the words you give it, it can be wrong, and it cannot confirm who really sent a message.

Safety Scripts is a separate tool. You describe a conversation you are already stuck in, and it writes a firm, polite message that closes the door. That is for the person who has been talking to you for weeks and is now asking for money, not for a cold text you should simply ignore.

Better still, show the message to someone you trust and ask what they think.