Delivery & Parcel Scams
Fake 'missed delivery' texts and emails impersonating Australia Post, DHL, FedEx and other couriers are among the most common scams hitting Australian phones. They claim a parcel is held up — wrong address, unpaid fee, failed delivery — and push you to a fake tracking or payment page built to steal your card details.
This guide explains how the scam works, the warning signs to watch for, and what to do if you've been caught out. Got a specific message in front of you? Check it now and get an instant verdict.
How this scam works
You receive an SMS or email claiming a courier couldn't deliver your parcel: the address was incomplete, a customs fee is owing, or you missed the driver. The link leads to a page styled like the courier's real website, which asks you to 'confirm your details' and pay a small fee, usually $1–$3. That tiny fee is the hook — entering your card hands the full number, expiry and security code to the scammer, who then makes much larger charges or sells the details on. Some variants skip the fee and simply harvest personal information through a fake tracking form. Because so many Australians have a parcel on the way at any given moment, the message lands at a believable time — which is exactly why these scams surge around Christmas and major sales events.
What the scam looks like
These composed examples show how the scam typically reads, with the tells that give each one away. Compare them against anything you've received.
AusPost: Your parcel AU4471020 could not be delivered due to an incomplete address. To avoid it being returned to sender, confirm your details and pay the $2.99 redelivery fee at auspost-redelivery[.]example within 24 hours.
What gives it away:
- Australia Post says it will never call, text or email you asking for payment to release or redeliver a parcel
- The link is a lookalike, not auspost.com.au; a real notification shows up in the AusPost app against your tracking number
- A 24-hour deadline on a parcel is manufactured urgency; couriers card you or hold parcels at a collection point instead
DHL Express: A customs clearance fee of $1.49 is outstanding on shipment 7301-AU. Your package is on hold at our Sydney facility. Settle now at dhl-customs-au[.]invalid to avoid return shipping charges.
What gives it away:
- The fee is deliberately tiny; the page exists to capture your full card number, not to collect $1.49
- Genuine customs charges for major couriers are handled through their official portals against a tracking number you can verify yourself
- The domain is not dhl.com; typing the tracking number into the courier's real site shows no such shipment
Subject: Delivery attempt failed. Hello, our driver was unable to deliver your package today. Download the attached delivery notice and confirm your redelivery window at parcel-rebook[.]example. Unclaimed packages are disposed of after 5 business days.
What gives it away:
- Couriers don't send attachments to open or threaten to 'dispose of' parcels within days
- No courier name, no tracking number, no address: the vagueness lets one email impersonate every courier at once
- Real missed deliveries leave a card, go to a collection point, or appear in the courier's app
Who gets targeted, and when
Everyone with an Australian mobile number. The texts are blasted to huge lists, so they reach you whether or not a parcel is on the way; the scam simply relies on the odds that many recipients are expecting one. Online shoppers are the natural victims, and older Australians and people whose first language isn't English are hit hardest when the fake page asks for extra 'identity confirmation' details.
Delivery scams surge whenever parcel volumes do: the November sales (Black Friday and Cyber Monday), the December run-up to Christmas, and the January sales. A burst also follows major retail events like EOFY sales. During those weeks almost everyone genuinely is waiting on a parcel, which is precisely the cover the scam needs.
How to spot it
- A courier asking for payment through an SMS link — Australia Post never charges redelivery fees this way, and major couriers handle fees through their own portals
- Link domains that aren't the courier's official site (auspost.com.au, dhl.com, fedex.com, mytoll.com) — lookalikes in the style of 'auspost-redelivery[.]example' are scams
- A tracking number you don't recognise, or one that fails when you type it into the courier's real website yourself
- Messages from a random mobile or overseas number rather than the courier's sender ID
- Deadlines and urgency, such as 'your parcel will be returned to sender within 24 hours'
What to do if you have been targeted
- If you entered card details, call your bank immediately to block the card and dispute any charges
- If you entered a password, change it on the real site straight away — and anywhere else you reuse it
- If you shared identity documents like a licence number, contact IDCARE (idcare.org) for free identity support
- Report the message to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au), then delete it
- Warn family and friends — these scams arrive in waves, and older relatives are heavily targeted
Where to report it
- Scamwatch — Report the scam to the ACCC's national scam service.
- ReportCyber — Report cybercrime and financial loss to the police.
- ACMA — Complain about scam texts and spam SMS, email or calls.
- Forward to 7226 (SCAM) — Forward the scam SMS to short code 7226 so carriers can block the source.
- IDCARE — Free identity and cyber support if your details were taken.
How to protect yourself
- Track parcels only through the courier's official app or by typing its website yourself; if a message is real, the same status will be there
- Never pay a 'redelivery', 'customs' or 'handling' fee through a link in a text message
- Keep your tracking numbers from the retailer's order confirmation, and check any message against them
- Forward scam delivery texts to 7226 (spells SCAM) so carriers can block the sender, then delete them
- Warn family members who shop online, especially older relatives; these texts arrive in waves and one warning inoculates the whole household
Delivery & Parcel Scams in 2026
Fake parcel texts remain a fixture of Australian scam activity in 2026, alongside toll and bank impersonation as the messages most likely to reach your phone in any given month. Current waves rotate the courier name (Australia Post one week, DHL or Toll the next), reuse the same tiny 'fee' hook, and increasingly follow up a text with a matching email to look more convincing. The reliable defence hasn't changed: check the tracking number yourself in the courier's own app or website, and treat any fee request inside a message as the scam itself.
Related brands targeted by this scam
Scammers often impersonate these names in delivery & parcel scams. Here's how to tell a genuine message from a fake:
Check a suspicious message now
Paste the text or email you're unsure about and get an instant verdict — delivery & parcel scams included, free.
Frequently asked questions
Why am I getting delivery scam texts when I'm not expecting a parcel?
The texts are blasted to huge lists of Australian numbers — the scammers have no idea whether you have a parcel coming. They rely on the odds: at any moment, a large share of recipients do, and those people are the ones who click. Not expecting anything is itself a strong sign the message is fake.
I paid the small 'redelivery fee'. Is losing a few dollars the worst of it?
Unfortunately no. The fee exists only to make you type in your full card details, which the scammers keep. The real losses come later as unauthorised charges, sometimes weeks afterwards. Call your bank now, block the card, and check your statement for anything you don't recognise.
Do couriers ever send legitimate SMS messages?
Yes — genuine delivery notifications by SMS are common, which is what makes this scam effective. The safe habit: never act through the message's link. Open the courier's app or type its official website into your browser, then enter your tracking number there. Real messages survive that check; scams don't.
Does Australia Post charge a redelivery fee?
No. Australia Post states it will never call, text or email you asking for payment to release, redeliver or clear a parcel. Any message doing that in AusPost's name is a scam, whatever the amount. If a real delivery is missed, the parcel goes to a collection point or the status appears in the AusPost app, no payment involved.
What happens if I just ignore a missed-delivery text?
If it's a scam, nothing — there is no parcel. If a real delivery was actually missed, the courier leaves a card, takes the parcel to a collection point, or shows the status in its app and website. Ignoring the text and checking the courier's official channels yourself never costs you a parcel.
How do I report a fake Australia Post or DHL text?
Forward the SMS to 7226 (spells SCAM) so carriers can block the sender, and report it to Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au so the National Anti-Scam Centre can track the campaign. Australia Post also lists current scams on its own security page. Then delete the message; there is nothing to claim and nothing to lose by ignoring it.
Related scam types
Other scams hitting Australians right now — know the warning signs:
Sources
- Online security, scams and fraud (Australia Post)
- Text or SMS scams (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
- Phishing scams (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice — if you've lost money, contact your bank and the reporting channels above straight away.