Scam guide

Fake delivery SMS: how to tell if a parcel message is a scam

Published 28 September 2026 · SafeHop guides

In short: a fake delivery SMS says your parcel is stuck, the address is incomplete or a small fee is due, and gives you a link. The link leads to a copy of a courier's website that steals your card details. Real couriers let you check a parcel in their own app or website; they don't need you to pay through a link in a text.

What the message looks like

The wording changes, but the story is always the same: a parcel you might be expecting can't be delivered until you act. Typical versions:

"Your package is on hold due to an incomplete address. Update your address within 24 hours: [link]"
"We were unable to deliver your parcel. Pay a redelivery fee of Rs 25 / $1.99 to reschedule: [link]"
"Customs fee pending for your shipment. Your parcel will be returned if not paid today."

They pretend to come from national post offices and couriers everywhere: India Post, USPS, Royal Mail, Evri, DHL, FedEx, and in Japan Sagawa, Yamato or Japan Post ("お荷物をお届けに上がりましたが不在のため持ち帰りました").

Why it works

Almost everyone is waiting for some parcel, the fee is tiny, and the page looks exactly like the courier's. But the "fee" is not the goal. The fake payment page captures your full card number, expiry date and CVV, and often a one-time password, which the scammers then use for much larger payments.

6 signs of a fake delivery SMS

A fee or address update through a link. Couriers ask you to use their official app or website, not a link that arrives by text.
The link is not the courier's real website. Look for extra words and odd endings, such as indiapost-track.xyz or usps-redelivery-help.top. Shortened links (bit.ly and similar) hide where they go.
Pressure: "within 24 hours", "today", "will be returned".
It came from a random mobile number or email address, not the courier's usual sender name.
You weren't expecting anything from that courier, or the message doesn't mention what the parcel is.
The page asks for your card details or an OTP to pay a small amount. That is the trap.

What to do

Don't click. Open the courier's app, or type its website address yourself, and enter your tracking number there.
Not sure? Paste the whole message into the SafeHop message checker. It checks the wording and where the link really goes, without opening it.
Delete the message and block the sender.

If you already paid or entered card details

Call your bank or card company straight away, using the number on your card, and block the card.
Check your statement for payments you don't recognise.
Report it. In India: call 1930 or report at cybercrime.gov.in. In the US and UK you can forward scam texts to 7726; in the US you can also report at reportfraud.ftc.gov. In Japan: the consumer hotline 188 or the police consultation line #9110.

Got a message like this? Paste it into SafeHop's free checker. It reads the wording and every link, and tells you if it looks like a scam, without opening anything. Your message never leaves your browser.

Check a message Get the free extension

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This guide is general safety information, not legal or financial advice. Companies and authorities are named only to show who scammers pretend to be; SafeHop is not affiliated with any of them.