Parcel delivery fee scam: "your package is on hold"

"Your parcel could not be delivered. Pay €1.99 to reschedule delivery." This message arrives by email or text, supposedly from the post office, DHL, UPS or a customs service. The amount is tiny on purpose: the goal isn't the €1.99, it's your card details.

How the scam works

The link leads to a copy of the carrier's website. You enter your card to pay the small fee, and the scammers use it for much bigger payments, or call you pretending to be your bank to "cancel" them.

How to recognise it

• You weren't expecting a parcel, or the message doesn't say what it contains.
• It asks for a small fee: redelivery, customs, storage.
• It sets a deadline: "your parcel will be returned in 48 hours".
• The link goes to an address that isn't the carrier's real website.
• It's often sent from a random address or a free mailbox.

Common versions

• "Customs fees to pay" for a parcel supposedly coming from abroad.
• "Failed delivery, choose a new slot" with a small rescheduling fee.
• "Address incomplete", asking you to confirm your details and pay to release the parcel.
• A text message (SMS) rather than an email, with a shortened link: the same scam on your phone.

What to do

1. Don't click and don't pay.
2. To check a delivery, open the carrier's app or website yourself and use the tracking number from the shop.
3. If you entered your card, call your bank right away to block it.
4. Delete the message or report it as spam.

Check it with Fishi

Forward the suspicious email to check@fishi.email. Fishi checks where the link really goes, how old the website is, and whether it's on phishing lists, then replies in seconds with a clear answer. It's free and needs no account.