Is This USPS Email a Scam? How to Tell

Short answer: a USPS email saying your package is "held," delivery "failed," your address "needs confirming," or there's a small redelivery fee to pay is almost always a scam. USPS does not email you out of the blue asking for payment or personal details through a link. You can confirm anything real yourself with a tracking number on the official USPS site — you never need the email's link.

This is the email cousin of the well-known USPS "package" text scam. If you're dealing with a text instead, see is the USPS text a scam — this guide focuses on the email version, where attachments, lookalike sender addresses, and "confirm your address" forms do the damage.

Quick check: Don't click the link or open the attachment. If you're expecting a package, go to usps.com yourself and enter the tracking number. USPS will never email you asking for a card number, a small "redelivery fee," or your login.

In this guide

• The common fake USPS emails
• Why the small fee is the whole point
• What a real USPS email looks like
• The red flags
• Anatomy of a fake USPS email
• How to verify a USPS email safely
• How did they know I have a package coming
• If you already clicked or paid
• FAQ

The common fake USPS emails

The story shifts, but it always ends at a link or attachment:

• "Delivery failed / we missed you." You're told a delivery attempt failed and must "reschedule" via a link — which asks for your address and a card.
• "Package held — action required." Your parcel is supposedly stuck until you "confirm details" or pay a fee.
• "Address could not be verified." A form to "update" your address that harvests your personal information.
• "Pay a small redelivery / customs / handling fee." A tiny charge (often $0.30–$3.00) on a fake page built to capture your full card number.
• "Tracking update" with an attachment. A PDF or "shipping label" attachment that leads to a phishing page or malware.

Why the small fee is the whole point

The fee is deliberately tiny — a dollar or two — because the goal isn't the fee. It's your card details. A small, "reasonable" charge lowers your guard, so you type your full card number, expiry, CVV, and billing address into the scammer's form. Once they have that, they can run far bigger charges or sell the card data.

So the math that matters isn't "is $1.99 worth the risk." It's that handing your card to a fake page is the actual transaction the scammer wants.

What a real USPS email looks like

Legitimate USPS tracking emails (which you generally only get if you signed up for them) reference a tracking number you can independently verify on usps.com, and they don't demand urgent payment or personal details through a link. USPS doesn't cold-email you to "confirm your address," collect a redelivery fee, or ask for your login. Real delivery issues are resolved by entering your tracking number on the official site or contacting your local post office — not by an emailed form.

The red flags

• A link to "reschedule," "confirm address," or "pay a fee." Real tracking is checked on usps.com yourself.
• A small payment request — USPS doesn't collect redelivery fees by surprise email.
• A lookalike sender or link — anything that isn't the official usps.com (e.g. usps-redelivery.com, usps.tracking-help.net, link shorteners).
• A package you weren't expecting, or a tracking number that doesn't match anything you ordered.
• Urgency — "within 24 hours or your package returns to sender."
• An attachment ("label," "invoice," "tracking.pdf") you didn't request.
• Generic greeting and odd grammar.

Anatomy of a fake USPS email

From: USPS Delivery <no-reply@usps-track-redelivery.com>
Subject: USPS: Your package is on hold — address unconfirmed

Dear Customer,

We attempted to deliver your parcel (USPS #US9302...) but your
address could not be verified. To reschedule delivery, please
confirm your details and pay the $1.95 redelivery fee:

      [ Reschedule Delivery ]

Failure to act within 24 hours will return the package to sender.

The tells line up:

• The domain — usps-track-redelivery.com is not usps.com.
• "Address could not be verified" — a pretext to collect your personal details.
• A $1.95 fee — small enough to seem harmless, designed to capture your full card.
• A 24-hour deadline and a "return to sender" threat — pressure to act before checking.

If a USPS email like this lands and you are actually waiting on a package, that coincidence is what makes it dangerous — and it's exactly when to verify rather than click. Forward the email to FraudRoom for a quick, plain-English read on whether it's real before you enter an address or a card.

How to verify a USPS email safely

1. Don't click the link or open the attachment.
2. Find your real tracking number from your order confirmation (Amazon, the retailer, etc.).
3. Go to usps.com yourself — type it into your browser — and enter the tracking number there. Genuine status shows up; the email's claim usually won't match.
4. For a real delivery problem, contact your local post office or USPS through the official site, not the email.
5. Never pay a "redelivery fee" through an emailed link. USPS doesn't collect fees that way.

How did they know I have a package coming

This is what makes USPS scams feel uncanny: the email arrives right when you're actually expecting a delivery. Almost always, that's coincidence, not surveillance. A few things to understand:

• These are sent in bulk to millions of addresses. At any given moment, a huge share of people are waiting on a package, so a "delivery problem" message will feel timely for plenty of recipients purely by chance.
• The scammers usually don't know who you are. The generic "Dear Customer" greeting is a tell — a real, targeted message about your order would reference details a mass phishing run doesn't have.
• Occasionally data is leaked or bought. In some cases an email address (and a name) comes from a breach or a shady list, which can make a message feel more personal. Even then, the safe move is identical: never use the link, and verify with your own tracking number.

So a perfectly-timed USPS email isn't proof it's real — it's exactly the reaction the scammer is counting on. Timing is not verification.

If you already clicked or paid

1. Stop and close the page; don't enter anything more.
2. If you entered card details, call your bank or card issuer using the number on your card, report it, and ask for a replacement card. Watch your statement for charges.
3. If you entered a USPS.com password or reused a password, change it on the real site and anywhere else you used it, and enable two-factor authentication.
4. If you opened an attachment, run a security scan and watch for unusual device behavior.
5. Report it. Forward the email to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and report the scam to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, then delete it.

For the full recovery checklist, see what to do if you clicked a phishing link.

FAQ

Does USPS send emails about failed deliveries or held packages?

USPS only emails tracking updates if you specifically signed up for them, and those never demand urgent payment or personal details through a link. An unsolicited "delivery failed / package held, pay a fee" email is a scam. Verify any real delivery by entering your tracking number on usps.com yourself.

USPS emailed me to pay a small redelivery fee — is it real?

No. USPS does not collect surprise redelivery fees by email. The tiny fee exists to make you comfortable entering your full card details on a fake page. Don't pay it; check your tracking on the official site instead.

How do I tell a fake USPS email from a real one?

Check the sender and any link domain — real USPS uses usps.com, while scams use lookalikes like usps-redelivery.com. Be suspicious of urgency, surprise fees, attachments, and requests for personal details. When in doubt, ignore the email and verify with your tracking number on usps.com.

I entered my card on a fake USPS page — what now?

Call your bank or card issuer immediately using the number on your card, report the fraud, and ask for a new card. Then watch your statements closely and report the email to the Postal Inspection Service and the FTC. Fast action limits the damage.

Key takeaways

• USPS doesn't email out of the blue for payment, fees, or "address confirmation."
• The tiny "redelivery fee" is bait to capture your full card details.
• Verify any real package by entering the tracking number on usps.com yourself.
• Watch for lookalike sender domains, attachments, and 24-hour deadlines.
• If you entered card details, call your bank right away and report the email.

Related reading

• Is the USPS text a scam? (the SMS version)
• Is the toll road text a scam?
• What does a scam email look like? The red flags