A text says Royal Mail could not deliver your parcel — pay a small fee to reschedule
A text pretending to be from Royal Mail says a package is waiting and there's a small unpaid "shortfall" or "redelivery fee" (usually £1.99 or £2.99). The link leads to a fake royalmail.co.uk lookalike site that captures your card details, then charges you for a recurring subscription or resells the card on fraud markets.
Also known as: Royal Mail shortfall scam, fake Royal Mail redelivery text, Royal Mail parcel fee smishing, RM £1.99 text scam
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
- 1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
- 2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
- 3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.
What to do right now
- 1 Do not tap the link. If you're expecting a parcel, check the sender's tracking page directly — Royal Mail tracking is at https://www.royalmail.com/track-your-item (type the URL yourself)
- 2 Forward the scam text to 7726 (spells 'SPAM'), then delete it — this is the free number that all UK mobile networks use to log phishing texts
- 3 If you already entered your card details on the fake site, call your bank on the number printed on the back of your card and ask for the card to be cancelled and any pending transactions blocked
- 4 Check your bank statements for the next 3 months — some card details are resold and used weeks later
- 5 Report to Action Fraud at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
Red flags
- ⚠ Royal Mail only ever asks for redelivery or customs fees via a 'Something for you' card left at your door — never by text or WhatsApp
- ⚠ The fee is small (£1.99, £2.99, £3.50) — deliberately low so you'll pay without thinking twice
- ⚠ The link is not royalmail.com or royalmail.co.uk — it's a lookalike like 'royalmail-redeliver.com', 'royal-mail-uk.co', or a shortened bit.ly / tinyurl link
- ⚠ The message urges action within 24-48 hours or the parcel will be 'returned to sender'
- ⚠ After entering your card details, the payment page also asks for your address, date of birth, and mother's maiden name — none of which Royal Mail needs to redeliver a parcel
Known variants
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Fake DPD, Evri (Hermes), or Yodel delivery redirect texts follow the same shape as the Royal Mail scam — small unpaid fee, lookalike domain, urgency about parcel return. The gang behind them rotates courier brands weekly as public awareness catches up with each one.
Last seen: 6/30/2026