What you need to know
A message about a missed parcel may link to a convincing copy of a delivery company’s website. The small fee makes the request feel believable, but the page may be collecting payment and identity details.
Warning signs
- You were not expecting a parcel, or the message does not identify it clearly.
- The message creates urgency or threatens that the parcel will be returned.
- The link uses an unfamiliar address or a shortened web address.
- You are asked for a small redelivery fee and then extensive personal details.
- The sender name looks genuine but the wording or timing feels unusual.
What to do
- Do not use the link.
- Open the retailer or delivery company’s official app, or type its known website address yourself.
- Check the genuine tracking information there.
- Forward a suspicious SMS text to 7726 and use the phone’s report or block feature.
If you entered information
Contact your bank immediately if you entered card or banking details. Change any password you entered, and change it anywhere else you reused it. Keep the message and make a note of what information you supplied.