Black Friday scam texts: 7 to watch for, and how to stop them on iPhone

Between Black Friday and the end of December, most of us are waiting for a parcel, a refund or an order confirmation. Scammers know it. These are the seven scam texts that show up most in shopping season, how to tell them from the real thing, and how to keep them out of your inbox on iPhone.

Updated 1 November 2026 · Applies to every iPhone · Every sender, number and link below is made up; don't visit the links.

Why scam texts peak in shopping season

A fake "your parcel is on hold" text only works if you're expecting a parcel. In November and December almost everyone is, so the same old scams suddenly look believable. They also ask for very little: a $1.99 redelivery fee or a "quick card check" feels too small to question. The small payment is never the point. The page behind the link collects your card number, and the real charges come later.

The seven to watch for

1. The redelivery fee. "Your parcel is on hold due to an incomplete address. Pay $1.99 to reschedule: parcel-redelivery-fee.top". Real carriers don't text you a link to pay a fee for a missing house number.
2. "Problem with your order". "We couldn't process payment for your order #48213. Update your card within 24 hours: order-payment-update.info" Check the order in the store's own app or website, never through the link.
3. The deal that's too good. "Black Friday: iPhone 90% off, only 2 hours left! Shop now: blackfriday-deals-outlet.shop". Huge discounts from a site you've never heard of, with a countdown, are fake shops that take the money and send nothing.
4. The fake fraud alert. "Fraud alert: a $849.00 purchase was made on your card. If this wasn't you, cancel it here: card-cancel-verify.info" Some versions ask you to reply NO or call a "fraud team" instead, who then ask for your card details or a code. Call the number on the back of your card.
5. The gift card or prize. "Congratulations! You've been selected for a $500 Black Friday gift card. Claim within 24h: giftcard-claim-now.xyz" You can't win a draw you never entered.
6. The unpaid toll or fine. "Final notice: you have an unpaid toll of $6.99. Pay today to avoid a $50 late fee: toll-payment-due.top" These run all year, but they ride the same "small amount, short deadline" pattern.
7. The account lock. "Your account has been temporarily locked due to unusual activity. Verify now: account-verify-login.info". The page looks like a login screen and keeps whatever you type.

How to tell a scam text from a real one

• It comes from a phone number or an unfamiliar sender you've never had texts from.
• It's urgent: "today", "within 24 hours", "final notice", a countdown.
• It asks for a small payment, your card details, a password or a code.
• The link doesn't match the company's real website, or it's hidden behind a link shortener.
• It doesn't mention anything only the real company would know, like your actual order or the last digits of your card.

When in doubt, open the shop's or carrier's app yourself and look up the order. A real problem will be there too.

What to do with a scam text

1. Don't tap the link and don't reply. Even "STOP" tells the sender your number is live.
2. Report it. In Messages, tap Report Junk under the message. In the US, UK and Canada you can also forward it to 7726 (SPAM) so your carrier can block the sender. In the US you can report fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
3. If you already tapped and paid: call your bank on the number on your card, cancel the card, and change any password you typed into the page.

Stop them reaching your inbox

iPhone has two built-in helpers. Screen Unknown Senders moves texts from numbers outside your Contacts to a separate list, and Filter Spam moves texts Apple's own detection considers spam. Turn both on in Settings › Apps › Messages, in the Unknown Senders section. Our Screen Unknown Senders guide explains how to do it without losing your verification codes.

For shopping-season scams, the problem is that the fake delivery text and the real one come from the same kind of unknown number. AntiSpam reads what each text says instead. It moves fake delivery fees, fake deals, fake bank alerts and prize texts to Spam, and keeps real delivery updates, one-time codes and bank alerts. Everything happens on your iPhone; your texts never leave it. The first month is free.

Questions

Do delivery companies text you about fees?

Carriers do send real tracking texts, but a text with a link asking you to pay a small fee to release or redeliver a parcel is the most common scam of the season. Check the tracking number on the carrier's own website or app instead of tapping the link.

Is it safe to reply STOP to a scam text?

No. Replying tells the sender the number is active and can lead to more texts. Report the message as junk and delete it.

I tapped the link but didn't enter anything. What now?

Close the page. Simply opening a scam page rarely does harm on an up-to-date iPhone. If you typed a card number, a password or a code, call your bank and change that password straight away.

Will a spam filter block my real delivery texts?

AntiSpam's protective rules for delivery updates, one-time codes, bank alerts and reminders run before any spam check, so real delivery texts stay out of Spam while fake fee requests are moved there.

Last updated: 1 November 2026