Medium riskDelivery

Delivery Tip Scam

This scam sends a message inviting you to 'tip your delivery driver' through a link, leading to a fake payment page that captures your card details rather than sending any gratuity.

Quick verdict

Risk level
Medium risk
Scam type
Delivery impersonation (payment phishing)
Main red flag
A message asking you to tip a driver through an outside link.
What to do first
Tip only inside the official delivery app, never through a link in a text or email.

What to know first

This scam sends a message inviting you to 'tip your delivery driver' through a link, leading to a fake payment page that captures your card details rather than sending any gratuity.

Delivery scams (a form of smishing) impersonate couriers with a believable small problem, an unpaid fee, a wrong address, a held parcel, timed to arrive when you might be expecting something. The link leads to a cloned courier site that harvests your card details and a bank one-time code.

The core pattern to watch for is clear: A message asking you to tip a driver through an outside link. Tip only inside the official delivery app, never through a link in a text or email.

Related tricks worth knowing: the Fake Delivery Text Scam and the Address Confirmation Delivery Scam. For the wider picture, browse the Delivery & Postal Scams guides or run the message through our scam checker.

Scam statistics

#2
fake package-delivery texts were the second most-reported text scam in 2022
Source: US Federal Trade Commission
$330M
reported lost to text-message scams in the US in 2022
Source: US Federal Trade Commission

Tell-tale red flags

  • A request to tip through an external link
  • A page asking for full card details to leave a tip
  • A message from outside the official delivery app
  • Pressure or guilt to reward the driver now
  • A web address that is not the delivery service

Staying safe

  • Tip only within the official delivery app where you ordered
  • Ignore tip requests that arrive by text or email link
  • Report and delete suspicious messages
  • Verify any order through the official app

How it usually reads

Example pattern, not a real report
Example pattern: 'Your driver did a great job! Leave a tip to say thanks: [suspicious link]' leading to a page that asks for your full card details.

This is a fictional, anonymised example used to illustrate the pattern. It is not a verified real message, and any names are used only to show how the scam typically reads.

What to notice: A message asking you to tip a driver through an outside link.

Steps if you already acted

  • Do not enter card details on the page
  • If you entered your card, contact your bank to flag it
  • Watch your statement for unexpected charges
  • Report the message to the delivery service

Common mistakes

  • Do not tip through links in messages
  • Do not enter full card details on a 'tip' page
  • Do not feel pressured to reward a driver this way

Scams like this one

High risk Delivery

Fake Delivery Text Scam

This scam impersonates a courier with a missed-delivery text and a link to a fake page that asks for a fee or your personal and card details.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
High risk Delivery

Address Confirmation Delivery Scam

This scam claims a parcel cannot be delivered until you 'confirm' or 'update' your address through a link, which leads to a page that collects your personal details and sometimes a small card payment.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
High risk Delivery

Amazon Delivery Text Scam

This scam texts a fake Amazon delivery notice about a missed parcel, address problem, or fee, linking to a page that harvests your Amazon login, card, and personal details.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team

Your questions answered

Do delivery apps ask me to tip by text link?
Tipping is handled inside the official app where you placed the order. A separate text or email link asking for card details to tip is a phishing attempt.
It felt rude not to tip. Should I worry?
Scammers use that guilt. You can tip safely within the app; you should never enter full card details on an outside 'tip' page.
I entered my card. What now?
Contact your bank to flag or freeze the card and watch your statement for unauthorised charges.
How do I tip safely?
Use the tipping feature inside the official delivery app, and ignore tip requests that arrive by link.

Last reviewed June 2026 · Written & reviewed by the

Disclaimer: This page provides educational information only to help you recognise common scam patterns. It is not legal, financial, cybersecurity, or law enforcement advice, and it does not confirm whether any specific message, company, or person is genuine or fraudulent. When in doubt, contact the official organisation directly and report concerns to your local authorities.