Is This Text Message Real? A 60-Second Checklist

A text arrives: "Your package could not be delivered. Update your address here." Or: "Unusual activity on your account — verify now." These messages are designed to make you click before you think. Here's a fast way to check one before you tap anything.

Five things to check, in order

1. Were you expecting this? If you didn't order anything, a "delivery problem" text is an immediate red flag.
2. Does it create urgency? "Act within 24 hours" or "your account will be suspended" is a pressure tactic, not a normal business practice.
3. Look at the link itself, without tapping it. Press and hold on many phones to preview the web address. Real companies use their own domain (like usps.com), not a string of random letters or a slightly misspelled version (like usps-tracking-help.com).
4. Does it ask for information a company should already have? Your bank already knows your account number. If a text asks you to "confirm" sensitive details, that's backwards.
5. Is the greeting generic? "Dear Customer" instead of your actual name is common in mass-sent scam texts.

The safest habit of all

Don't tap the link at all. Instead, open your banking app, delivery app, or the company's official website directly (typed in yourself, not from the text) and check your account or tracking status there. If there's a real problem, it will show up in the official app too.

If you already tapped a suspicious link

• Don't enter any information on the page that opens, even if it looks legitimate.
• If you did enter a password, change it immediately on the real site or app.
• If you entered payment information, call your bank or card issuer right away.