Text message scams in 2026: USPS, tolls, banks, and what to do

Do not click the link, and do not reply. If the text says it is from your bank, the post office or a toll service, check with that company using a phone number or website you already know. Then report the text: forward it to 7726 (SPAM), and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. This guide covers the most common text scams, how to spot them, and what to do if you already clicked.

How common text scams are

Smishing is phishing by text message. People reported losing $470 million to text scams in 2024, according to the FTC’s Data Spotlight of April 14, 2025. That is more than five times the 2020 number. The share of text-scam reports that involved a loss rose from 5% in 2020 to 11% in 2024. The FTC says the vast majority of frauds are never reported, so the real harm is likely higher.

For 2025, the FTC’s Data Spotlight of April 27, 2026 ranks how scammers made contact, in fraud reports that indicated a loss and named a contact method. Text came fifth, at 7%. Ahead of it were website or app (31%), social media (28%), phone call (11%) and email (10%). The FTC’s alert of May 7, 2026 adds that imposter scams drew more than 1 million reports in 2025, with reported losses up nearly 20% to $3.5 billion. An imposter scam is one where the scammer pretends to be someone you trust, such as a business or a government agency. Reports of government imposters rose 40%, thanks in part to messages about overdue tolls.

The five most common text scams

The FTC estimates that these five made up about half of all text frauds reported to it in 2024:

1. Package delivery problems. This was the most reported text scam. The message usually pretends to be from the U.S. Postal Service and links to a website that looks like the real USPS site.
2. Job “tasks.” An unexpected text offers work with no details, such as rating products or apps. Later you are told to pay money to finish the tasks and withdraw your supposed earnings.
3. Fake fraud alerts. The text looks like it comes from a bank or Amazon. It may ask you to call a number, or to reply YES or NO to verify a large transaction. Then someone pressures you to move money out of your accounts to supposedly keep it safe.
4. Unpaid toll notices. Texts imitate real toll programs and ask you to pay a balance you do not owe. The FTC says the scammers are really after credit card numbers and even Social Security numbers.
5. “Wrong number” texts. An out-of-the-blue message looks innocent. The sender builds a fake friendship, often with romantic undertones, and steers you to a fake investment. People report losing everything they “invest,” often tens of thousands of dollars, the FTC says.

Delivery texts and USPS

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says USPS sends tracking texts only after you ask for them with a tracking number, and those texts do not contain a link. If you did not start the request and the text has a link, do not click it. If you are expecting a package, go to USPS.com yourself on your phone or computer. If you already interacted with the link, even without pressing “submit,” the Inspection Service says to tell your financial institution.

Toll texts

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) posted a warning on April 12, 2024. It said that since early March 2024, it had received over 2,000 complaints about texts from a “road toll collection service,” from at least three states. The texts claim you owe unpaid tolls. The link imitates the name of the state’s toll service, and the phone numbers appear to change from state to state. The IC3 suggests checking your account on the toll service’s real website, or calling its customer service number. The FTC’s May 2026 alert says these bogus messages might spoof real toll programs and threaten late fees or a suspended registration to push you to pay fast.

Bank alerts

The FDIC, which insures bank deposits, says a bank-impersonation text often looks like a security message and tries to create urgency. For example, a text may ask you to verify a large purchase you did not make. If you respond, someone posing as the bank’s fraud department may call and ask for personal information, then use it to steal money from your account. The FDIC’s page was last updated May 27, 2026. Its advice is to take your time. Call your bank at a number you know, such as the one on your card. Do not click links unless you are certain you are dealing with your bank.

How to spot a scam text

• You did not expect it, or did not ask for it.
• It creates fear or a rush, such as a late fee, a suspended registration or a frozen account.
• It asks for personal or financial information. The FTC says legitimate companies will not ask for information about your account by text.
• It tells you to click, call or reply.
• It comes from a stranger who starts a friendly chat.

What to do with a suspicious text

1. Stop. Do not click, reply or call the number in the text. The FTC says never to click links or respond to unexpected texts.
2. Check another way. If the message might be real, use a phone number or website you know is real: the number on your card, the toll service’s own website, or USPS.com.
3. Report it. Forward the message to 7726 (SPAM). The FTC says this helps your wireless provider spot and block similar texts. Then use your app’s report option. On an iPhone, swipe left on the message, tap the Delete button, then tap Delete and Report Spam. If you already opened it, tap the Report Spam link at the bottom, then Delete and Report Spam. Apple says you cannot report a message after you have replied to it. In Google Messages, touch and hold the conversation, then tap Block, Report spam, OK. Also report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For toll texts, the IC3 asks you to file at ic3.gov and include the sending number and the website in the text. For USPS texts, the Inspection Service asks you to email [email protected].
4. Block the sender. Apple says reporting spam does not stop the sender from texting you, so block the contact too. Google says reporting a conversation as spam also blocks the sender.
5. Turn on filters. On an iPhone, open Messages, tap the filter button, choose Manage Filtering, and turn on Screen Unknown Senders. On Android, Google says spam and scam protection in Google Messages runs in standard mode, and you can choose Enhanced protection. Look under Messages settings, Protection & Safety.

If you already clicked, replied or paid

• You tapped a link or typed in your details. In its toll-text warning, the IC3 says to secure your personal information and financial accounts, and to dispute any unfamiliar charges.
• You entered a card number or paid by card. The FTC says to report the charge to your card issuer right away, using the number on the back of the card, and to ask for a refund. For a debit card, contact your bank immediately. For a bank transfer or payment app, notify your bank or the app at once and ask for the payment to be reversed.
• You paid with gift cards or cryptocurrency. The FTC says to contact the card issuer or the exchange immediately. It warns that crypto lacks the legal protections of credit and debit cards, so recovery can be difficult.
• You gave a password. The FTC says to create a new, strong password and change it anywhere you reused it. Turn on two-factor authentication, which asks for a second proof that it is you. See Am I hacked?.
• You gave your Social Security number. Follow Identity stolen? What to do, in order and freeze your credit.
• You gave someone control of your phone. The FTC says to update your security software, run a scan, change your passwords and turn on two-factor authentication. See How to tell if your phone is hacked.

Then report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Also lock your number against SIM swaps: see SIM swap scams.

What about scam calls?

The FTC (page dated July 2023) says your best defense against unwanted calls is call blocking and call labeling. Check your phone company’s website for its tools. The Do Not Call Registry will not stop scammers, it says, and caller ID can be faked. If you lost no money, report the call at DoNotCall.gov. If you lost money, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For calls that sound like a relative in trouble, see AI scams.

What can go wrong

• A real message looks like a scam, or the reverse. Banks and carriers do send texts. When you are unsure, use the official app or a number you know.
• A filter hides something you need. On an iPhone, filtered messages go to an Unknown Senders folder. Apple says you can allow notifications for time-sensitive texts such as verification codes.
• A call follows the text. The FDIC describes a fake “fraud department” that calls after you respond. Hang up and call your bank at the number on your card.
• A friendly stranger asks for money. The FTC says not to send money to someone you have only met online, especially if they suddenly ask for it.

What to do now

1. Turn on your phone’s spam filter: Screen Unknown Senders on an iPhone, spam and scam protection in Google Messages.
2. Save the two ways to report: forward texts to 7726, and use ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
3. Make a rule: never click a link in an unexpected text. Open the company’s app, or type its address yourself.
4. If you ever clicked or paid, call your card issuer or bank first, then change your passwords and turn on two-factor authentication.
5. Consider a credit freeze if you shared personal details. See How to freeze your credit.