Delivery and courier scams

Delivery and courier scams are fake messages claiming a parcel is held, delayed, or needs a small fee - designed to steal your card details or personal data.

How delivery and courier scams work

You receive a text, WhatsApp, or email that looks like it's from a courier or postal service, saying your parcel is stuck over a tiny customs, redelivery, or address fee.

The link leads to a convincing but fake checkout that captures your card and personal details. The amount is deliberately small so you pay without checking.

Couriers and customs collect any genuine duty through official channels - not a surprise text with a pay-now link.

Common opening lines

• “Your parcel is held at customs - pay the clearance fee to release it.”
• “We could not deliver your package; confirm your address and pay redelivery.”
• “Import duty unpaid; your package will be returned unless you pay.”

Example patterns

Sanitised examples - placeholders only, never real links or data.

Red flags

• urgency
• suspicious link
• delivery fee
• payment request

What to do now

1. Stop and don't enter anything; open the official app or site yourself.
2. If you entered details, change passwords and tell your bank.
3. Report the message in-app and to your national cybercrime authority.

What not to do

• Don't enter logins, codes, or card details on a page reached from a message.
• Don't trust urgency, threats, or 'verify now or lose access' pressure.
• Don't reuse the same password across accounts.

If you already responded

If you went further: if you clicked, don't enter anything and change any details you typed; if you entered card details, freeze the card with your bank; if you shared an OTP, change the password and enable app-based 2FA; if you paid, contact your bank or provider immediately; if you installed an app or gave remote access, disconnect, uninstall, and change passwords from a clean device.

How to verify safely

Track the parcel only in the retailer's order page or the courier's official app using the real tracking number.

How to report

Report through official channels you find yourself - never a number or link from the message. Tell your bank or payment provider if money moved, and file with your national fraud or cybercrime body. Find the right links in the reporting directory. Open the reporting directory.

Watch for 'recovery' offers afterwards: anyone promising to get your money back for an upfront fee is running a second scam.

Sources checked

• Compliance Alliance - FTC data: top text message scams of 2024 ($470M losses)
• Brown University OIT - Latest top five text message scams

Last reviewed: 2026-06-05

This is general safety information, not legal, financial, or cybersecurity incident-response advice. We can't detect every scam or guarantee recovery - always verify through official channels.