Anúncios
A text says your package is stuck, you owe $4.15 in unpaid tolls, or your bank froze your card. It looks official, it has a link, and it wants you to act right now. Scam texts (also called smishing, from SMS plus phishing) have become one of the most common ways people lose money and passwords in the US, because a text feels more personal than an email and phones show less of the link.
This guide shows the patterns behind the scam texts going around in 2026, with examples of how they are worded, so you can spot new versions you have not seen before. It also covers the phone settings that filter most of them out on iPhone and Android, what to do in the first hour if you already tapped a link or paid, and how to report them.
It is written for everyone, but it is worth sending to parents and grandparents. Scammers target every age group, but older relatives are often the ones who call a family member after it is too late.
The five warning signs that show up in almost every scam text
Every scam text, whatever the story, has a few of these features. Learn them and the specific story matters less.
It creates a deadline
“Pay within 24 hours to avoid a late fee.” “Your account will be suspended today.” Real companies do send reminders, but they rarely threaten consequences in hours. The deadline is there to stop you from thinking or calling someone.
It asks you to tap a link to fix something
The link is the scam. It leads to a fake page that looks like the real company’s site and asks for your card number, login, Social Security number, or a code that was just sent to your phone. Look closely and the address is usually off: “usps-redelivery-help.com,” “ezpass-tollservice.top,” or a random string of letters. The FTC’s consumer guidance on spam texts lists fake delivery notices, fake invoices, and fake account alerts as the most common hooks.
It comes from a strange number or email address
Real delivery and bank alerts usually come from short codes (five or six digit numbers) you have seen before. Scam texts often come from a regular 10-digit number, a foreign number, or an email address sent as a text. That alone is not proof, since scammers can spoof numbers, but combined with a link it is a strong sign.
The amount is small and oddly specific
$1.99 to reschedule a delivery, $4.15 for a toll, $0.99 for a “verification fee.” A small amount makes you think “it is only a few dollars, I will just pay it.” The money is not the goal; your card number is.
It asks for a code
If a text or a caller asks you to read back a verification code that was just sent to your phone, stop. That code is the key to your account. No real bank, carrier, or tech company will ask you to share it. This is also why setting up the right kind of two-factor authentication matters; our guide on how to set up two-factor authentication explains which methods resist this trick.
The scam texts going around right now
The stories change with the news, but these are the patterns that keep coming back.
Delivery problems
“USPS: Your package could not be delivered due to an incomplete address. Update here within 12 hours.” Variations name UPS, FedEx, DHL, or Amazon. They spike around holidays and big sales. The Postal Service does not text you a link unless you signed up for tracking for a specific package, and it never asks for payment by text to redeliver. The Postal Inspection Service has a page on package tracking text scams with more examples.
Unpaid tolls
“Final notice: you have an outstanding toll balance of $6.99. Pay now to avoid a $50 late fee and suspension of your license.” These texts pretend to be E-ZPass, SunPass, FasTrak, or a state toll authority, and they have gone to people in states without toll roads and people who do not own a car. The FTC and the FBI have both warned about them. If you are worried, log in to your toll account by typing its address yourself, or call the number on the back of your transponder statement.
Bank and card alerts
“[Bank name] Fraud Alert: did you attempt a purchase of $849.00 at an electronics store? Reply YES or NO.” If you reply NO, a “fraud department” calls you a minute later, already knowing your name, and walks you through “securing” your account by moving money or reading back codes. Your real bank’s fraud team may text you, but it will not ask you to move money to a “safe account,” and you can always hang up and call the number on the back of your card.
“Wrong number” texts
“Hi Linda, are we still on for dinner Thursday?” When you reply that they have the wrong number, the sender apologizes, is friendly, and keeps chatting. Over days or weeks the conversation turns to crypto investing or a trading app they “made a lot with.” This is often called a pig butchering scam, and the losses are usually the biggest of any text scam because the victim is groomed slowly. The rule is simple: do not keep chatting with a stranger who texted the wrong number.
Job offers and refunds
“Hi, I’m from the recruiting team. Remote job, $300 to $800 a day, only 60 minutes of work.” Or “You have a refund of $112.49 from your phone carrier, claim here.” Real recruiters do not cold-text random numbers with pay ranges, and refunds go back to your card automatically.
Family emergency
“Mom, I dropped my phone in the toilet, this is my new number. Can you help me pay a bill?” Before sending anything, call your child or relative on the number you already have. A family code word that only you know is a good habit for this and for voice-cloning calls.
Phone settings that filter scam texts
You will not block all of them, but the built-in filters catch a lot.
iPhone (iOS 26)
iOS 26 adds Screen Unknown Senders. Go to Settings > Apps > Messages, scroll to Unknown Senders, and turn on Screen Unknown Senders. Messages from numbers that are not in your contacts and that you have never replied to go into a separate Unknown Senders list, without notifications. Apple’s page on viewing conversations from unknown senders explains how it works and how to mark a sender as known. One trade-off: one-time codes and delivery alerts from new numbers may land in that list too, so check it when you are waiting for something.
To report a scam text, open it and tap Report Junk under the message (this appears for senders not in your contacts). That deletes it and sends the sender’s information and the message to Apple (and, with some carriers, to the carrier too).
Android (Google Messages, Android 16)
Google Messages, the default texting app on Pixel and many other Android phones, has spam protection and scam detection. Open Messages, tap your profile picture, then Messages settings > Spam protection, and make sure Enable spam protection is on. It is on by default on most phones. When Messages flags a suspected scam, it shows a warning with buttons to report or dismiss it.
To report and block a sender, touch and hold the conversation, tap Block, then Report spam. Google’s help page on reporting spam in Google Messages notes that reporting sends the sender’s number and recent messages from them to Google to improve detection.
Samsung Messages
On Samsung phones that use Samsung Messages instead of Google Messages, open Messages, tap the three dots, then Settings > Block numbers and spam. Turn on Caller ID and spam protection if your phone offers it. To block a sender, open the conversation, tap the three dots, and choose Block number. Menu names vary a bit between One UI versions.
Your carrier
Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile all have free spam filtering apps or settings (Call Filter, ActiveArmor, and Scam Shield). They mainly target calls but also help with texts. Check your carrier’s app.
What to do if you already tapped the link or paid
Tapping a link alone is usually not a disaster on an up-to-date phone. What matters is what you did on the page. Move fast, and in this order.
- If you entered card details, call your bank or card issuer right now using the number on the back of the card. Ask them to block the card, issue a new one, and dispute any charges.
- If you entered a password, change it immediately on the real site, and on any other account where you used the same password. Then turn on two-factor authentication for that account.
- If you shared a verification code, contact that company (bank, email, carrier) and say your account may be compromised. Check for new email forwarding rules, new devices, or changed recovery phone numbers.
- If you gave your Social Security number or driver’s license number, go to IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC’s site, which builds a personal recovery plan. Consider freezing your credit at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion; it is free and stops new accounts from being opened in your name.
- If you sent money by gift card, wire, crypto, or a payment app, contact the company you used right away and ask for a reversal. Recovery is hard, but the sooner you ask, the better the odds.
- Make sure your phone has the latest system update, and delete any app the page asked you to download.
If you think your phone itself is compromised or you have lost control of your accounts, our checklist for what to do if your phone is lost or stolen has the account lockdown steps.
How to report scam texts in the US
Reporting takes thirty seconds and helps carriers block the next wave.
- Forward the text to 7726 (it spells SPAM on the keypad). It is free with all major US carriers. Your carrier will usually reply asking for the sender’s number.
- Use Report Junk on iPhone or Report spam in Google Messages, as described above.
- Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, especially if you lost money.
- If you lost money or the scam involved crypto or investing, also file at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, IC3.gov.
Do not reply STOP to a text you think is a scam. That only confirms your number is active. Real companies honor STOP, but scammers use it to sort out live numbers.
Common questions
Can I get hacked just by opening a text?
Opening and reading a text is safe for almost everyone. Rare attacks that work without any tap exist, but they target journalists and officials and are patched quickly. Keeping your phone updated covers this. The real risk is tapping the link and typing information into the page.
Why am I getting so many scam texts all of a sudden?
Your number may have shown up in a data breach, or it was simply guessed: scammers send texts to sequential numbers. Replying, even to say “wrong number” or “STOP,” puts you on a list of active numbers.
How do I know if a text from my bank is real?
Do not use anything in the text. Open your bank’s app or call the number on the back of your card. If there is a real problem, it will show up there.
A five-minute setup to do today
Turn on Screen Unknown Senders on iPhone, or check that spam protection is on in Google Messages. Save the real short codes and numbers of your bank, carrier, and delivery services in your contacts so real alerts stand out. Agree on a family code word. Add 7726 to your contacts as “Report SPAM” so forwarding is easy. And the next time a text gives you a deadline and a link, close it and go to the company’s app or website yourself. That one habit stops nearly every scam on this page.
