Does USPS charge redelivery fees?

No. USPS does not charge fees to redeliver packages. Neither does FedEx or UPS. If a text asks you to pay a redelivery fee, it's a scam.

Why do scammers ask for such small amounts?

The small fee ($1.95-$4) is bait. The real target is your full credit card number, expiration date, CVV, and billing address — which are worth far more than the fee amount.

Scam #6 · High Threat

That $1.95 Fee Was Going to Cost You a Lot More.

Toll road scam texts surged 900% in a single year. The 'redelivery fee' is $1.95. Your full credit card number is worth a lot more than that.

What You Just Experienced

A text about a failed delivery. A tracking page that knew your city. A $1.95 redelivery fee. Totally reasonable, right? Except the whole thing was built to capture your card number, expiration date, CVV, and billing address. The $1.95 was bait. The real prize is your full payment card — which gets sold or used for charges that make $1.95 look like a rounding error.

Why This Works So Well

Everyone's expecting a package. That's the genius of it. Send ten million texts about a failed delivery and a huge percentage of recipients actually ARE waiting for something. The coincidence creates instant credibility.

And the small fee is the second trick. $1.95 isn't enough to make you hesitate. Your brain says "it's two bucks, just pay it and get my package." You enter your full card details for what feels like a trivial transaction — and you've just handed over everything a scammer needs.

The toll road variant works the same way. You drove on a turnpike last week? Great, here's a text about an unpaid toll with a link to pay $4.35. Millions of people drive on toll roads. The hit rate is enormous.

What Gives It Away

USPS, FedEx, and UPS don't text you unsolicited links. Unless you specifically signed up for tracking notifications for a specific package, delivery services don't text you with links to click.
Redelivery doesn't cost money. USPS doesn't charge redelivery fees. FedEx doesn't charge redelivery fees. If there's a fee, it's not them.
The URL is wrong. usps.com is USPS. usps-redelivery.com is not. usps-tracking-alert.com is not. Anything that isn't the exact real domain is fake.
Full card details for under $5. A legitimate payment for a small amount uses a payment processor — Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal. It doesn't make you type your full card number and CVV into a form.

The Rule

Got a text about a package or toll? Don't click the link. Go to the carrier's real website (usps.com, fedex.com, ups.com) and look up your tracking number there. For tolls, go to your state toll authority's real website. Thirty seconds of effort, and this scam has zero power over you.

How to Spread This

For parents and grandparents: "If you get a text about a package or a toll — even if you're expecting a delivery — don't click the link. Come to me and I'll check it for you, or just go to the real website yourself."

The small fee trick: "Scammers ask for tiny amounts on purpose. If a text wants $2 to redeliver your package, they're not after $2 — they're after your credit card number. That's the trade."

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