January 2026 Scam: Instacart Email Scam

Happy New Year! We hope your year is off to a great start. Unfortunately, scammers are still in full force in 2026. A recent email scam involving Instacart went out and we wanted you all to be aware and take precaution if you see this in your inbox.

A recent email sent out from Instacart on January 14 at 12:20pm CT writes:

We're writing to let you know about a recent spam email you may have received that appeared to come from Instacart. It may have claimed there was a charge on your account and directed you to call a phone number to address the matter.

We want to be clear that this message was not a legitimate Instacart or Instacart Business communication. You can safely disregard the email.

What you should do:

• Do not call any phone number listed in the email

• Do not click any links in the email

• Do not reply to the message

• Delete the email from your inbox

This is a good reminder that if you get any email that claims you owe money or need to pay for a charge, to go directly to the source, and not click the link in the message or use the phone number provided. Many of these scams can be verified by using information on the company website. Go to the contact page on their website and use that information to directly contact them.