High riskDelivery

Fake Tracking App Scam

This scam texts or emails you to install a 'parcel tracking app' to follow a delivery, but the app is malware that steals your data, intercepts codes, or takes over your device.

Quick verdict

Risk level
High risk
Scam type
Malware delivery (fake app)
Main red flag
A delivery message urging you to install a tracking app from a link.
What to do first
Do not install it. Track parcels through the courier's official app from the app store.

Understanding this scam

This scam texts or emails you to install a 'parcel tracking app' to follow a delivery, but the app is malware that steals your data, intercepts codes, or takes over your device.

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.

If you take one thing from this guide, make it this: A delivery message urging you to install a tracking app from a link. Do not install it. Track parcels through the courier's official app from the app store.

If your message looks slightly different, check the Fake Tracking Update Scam or the Fake Delivery Text Scam, both are close cousins of this pattern. Every related guide lives in the Delivery & Postal Scams guides, and the scam checker can scan the text you received.

A typical example

Example pattern, not a real report
Example pattern: 'Install our tracking app to follow your parcel in real time: [suspicious link / APK download]'

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.

The tell here: A delivery message urging you to install a tracking app from a link.

What the data shows

#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

Warning signs

  • A prompt to install a tracking app from a link
  • An app not from the official app store
  • Requests for broad permissions on install
  • A delivery you cannot match to an order
  • Pressure to install to see your parcel

Your safest response

  • Track parcels through the courier's official app from the app store
  • Never install apps from links or direct downloads
  • Verify deliveries through official tracking
  • Report and delete the message

If you have already engaged

  • If you installed the app, remove it and run a security scan
  • Change important passwords from a different, trusted device
  • Watch for intercepted codes and unusual activity
  • Contact your bank if financial apps were exposed

What to avoid

  • Do not install tracking apps from links
  • Do not grant broad permissions to unknown apps
  • Do not sideload apps to 'track' a parcel

You might also see

Medium risk Online Shopping

Fake Tracking Update Scam

After placing an order, or sometimes out of nowhere, you receive an email or text styled as a retailer's own order-tracking update, often flagging a 'delivery exception' or 'parcel on hold'. A link leads to a page that mimics the shop's tracking area and asks for a small fee or your account login to 'release' the parcel. Unlike generic courier-impersonation texts, this version copies the retailer's branding and order flow, which can make a fake update look convincing if you are expecting a delivery.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
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

Canada Post Text Scam

This scam sends a fake Canada Post delivery notice asking you to click a link or pay a small redelivery fee, then collects your card and personal details on a fake page.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team

Questions people ask

Do couriers need a special app from a link?
Genuine tracking is available on the courier's official website or app from the app store. A prompt to install an app from a link or direct download is a malware sign.
Why is installing risky?
The fake app can be malware that steals data, intercepts verification codes, or takes over your device. Only install official apps from the app store.
I installed it. What now?
Remove the app, run a security scan, change important passwords from a trusted device, and watch for unusual activity.
How do I track parcels safely?
Use the courier's official app or website with the reference from your retailer, and never install apps from message links.

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.