Texts and Emails With Links

Package, toll, and bank alert links, and why checking the real site yourself is always safer.

A link is a piece of text or a button in a message that takes you to a website when you tap or click it. Scammers send texts and emails that look like they are from a delivery company, a toll agency, or your bank, warning about a package, an unpaid toll, or a frozen account. They want you to tap the link fast, before you think.

The link does not go to the real company. It goes to a fake website built to steal your password or card number.

The same trick shows up as a toll bill text or a bank fraud alert email. The fix is always the same: do not tap the link. Instead, open a new browser tab and type the company's real address yourself, or open the official app you already use. If the warning is real, you will see it there too.

Look closely at the web address in any link. Scammers use addresses that look almost right, like amaz0n.com or your-bank-secure.net, hoping you will not notice.

Rule to remember: never tap a link in a text or email about your package, bill, or bank account; go to the real site or app yourself instead.