Smishing is the practice of sending text messages disguised as a reputable source, like the U.S. Postal Service.

John Hyatt, strategic communication specialist for the United States Postal Service, said smishing is the practice of sending fake text messages to smartphones asking users to click on a link to resolve a ZIP code or other issue with a pending package. He warned personal data is what the sender is after.

Amid the busy holiday shipping season, the U.S. Postal Service is sounding an urgent warning about a scam being sent via text message to unsuspecting users. According to postal officials, the scam consists of cell phone owners receiving a text message that says a USPS package can’t be delivered because of missing information.

Perhaps one of the most popular scams is "smishing," which, in the case of holiday mail, appears as fraudulent text messages indicating package tracking. Undisclosed texts with questionable tracking information and clickable links should be avoided in order to prevent scammers from gaining personal information.

According to the US Postal Inspector Service, the scam is simple: Someone sends you a text claiming your USPS package can't be delivered because some information is missing. The scammers, according to the USPS, provide a link (which you should not click on) where they ask you to provide some personal information.

This holiday season is the time of giving. But unfortunately, some scammers see it as a time of stealing, as fraudulent text messages have been circling around