UPS scams
Last updated September 18, 2026
The short answer
UPS scams are delivery-failure texts asking for a small fee, customs-charge emails, and occasionally a fake driver asking for payment at the door. UPS collects duties through its own billing, never by a link in a text, and its drivers never take payment from you at delivery.
UPS impersonation runs the same template as the USPS one with a business twist: because UPS handles a great deal of commercial shipping and international freight, "customs and duties are outstanding" is a plausible thing for a business to receive, and the amounts can be larger without seeming wrong. The consumer version is the familiar delivery-failure text; the more expensive version lands in a company inbox.
How UPS scams work
- 1
Delivery-failure texts
A text says a delivery attempt failed and a small fee is needed to reschedule. The linked page is a card-capture form with UPS branding and a tracking number that matches nothing.
- 2
Customs and duty emails
An email claims an international shipment is held pending duties, with an invoice and a payment link. Aimed at businesses, where an unexpected customs charge is ordinary and gets paid by someone who does not ship every day.
- 3
Fake invoices with a phone number
A shipping invoice arrives for an account you do not have, with a number to dispute it. The call is a refund or tech-support script.
- 4
Payment at the door
Someone in UPS-like clothing delivers a parcel and asks for a customs or handling payment in cash or by app. Real UPS drivers do not collect money from you.
Warning signs
- A text asks for a redelivery or handling fee through a link
- The tracking number matches nothing you ordered or shipped
- A customs invoice arrives by email with a payment link rather than through your UPS account
- The domain is not ups.com
- A driver asks for payment at the door
- An invoice arrives for a UPS account you do not have, with a number to call
- The message threatens to return the parcel within 24 or 48 hours
Examples
The $2.99 reschedule
A text reports a failed delivery attempt and a $2.99 reschedule fee. The page takes a card that is used for $1,600 of purchases two days later. The parcel the recipient was genuinely expecting arrived normally the following morning.
Duties on a shipment that did not exist
A small business receives a UPS-branded customs invoice for $780 on an inbound shipment, payable by link. The office manager pays it. There was no shipment; the invoice was sent to dozens of businesses that week, and the amount was chosen to sit below the threshold where anyone would call to check.
What to do
- Check deliveries only at ups.com or in the UPS app, typed yourself.
- Pay duties through your UPS account or an invoice you can verify in that account — never a link in an email.
- Never pay a driver at the door.
- Forward fraudulent messages to fraud@ups.com and texts to 7726 (SPAM).
- If you entered a card, cancel it and dispute any charges.
Report it to UPS
Forward fraudulent messages to fraud@ups.com, and track only from ups.com or the UPS app.
Getting your money back
Cancel any card entered and dispute the charges, which are covered. For a business that paid a fake customs invoice, dispute it with the card issuer as a service not rendered and tell your finance team — these invoices are sent in batches to many businesses at once, so a second one is likely and the warning is worth more than the refund. Forward the message to fraud@ups.com so the sending infrastructure can be actioned, and report to IC3 if the amount was significant.
Frequently asked questions
Does UPS charge redelivery fees?
No. UPS reattempts delivery without charging the recipient, and any genuine duties or taxes are billed through your UPS account or collected by the shipper — never through a link in a text message.
A UPS driver asked me for money. Is that normal?
No. UPS drivers do not collect payment at the door. If someone in a UPS-like uniform asks for cash or a payment-app transfer for customs or handling, do not pay, and report it to UPS on the number from ups.com.
How do I check whether a customs charge is real?
Sign in to your UPS account and look for the shipment and the invoice there. A genuine charge appears in your account against a real tracking number. If it exists only in an email, it does not exist.
Other companies scammers impersonate
Scams reuse their scripts across brands. If you were contacted about UPS, these are the guides worth reading next.