Fake Royal Mail Customs-Hold Phishing Scam
Fraudsters send emails and texts impersonating Royal Mail, claiming an inbound parcel is held in customs and a fee must be paid to release it. While genuine UK customs and import VAT charges do exist for overseas parcels, they are communicated through official HMRC customs notices or the Royal Mail customs charges page — not through a link in an unsolicited SMS.
Part of: Fake Customs Scams
Last reviewed: 7 June 2026
Post-Brexit customs changes have made small import charges more common for UK recipients of overseas parcels, and scammers have seized on this confusion. A message claiming a Royal Mail parcel is held in customs carrying a small charge now feels believable to many recipients because it mirrors a genuinely changed reality.
However, there are clear and important differences between a real customs charge and a fake one. Legitimate import VAT and customs fees on Royal Mail-handled items are charged by HMRC customs and communicated through a Royal Mail customs charge notification — a formal process that does not involve clicking a payment link in a text.
The exploitation of post-Brexit uncertainty has made this one of the fastest-growing variants of Royal Mail impersonation scams in the UK.
How this scam works on the Royal Mail brand
A text or email reads: 'Royal Mail: Your parcel from [sender country] requires customs clearance. Import VAT of £X.XX is outstanding. Pay here to avoid return: [link].' The link leads to a convincing Royal Mail-branded page requesting card details.
Real Royal Mail customs charges work differently: Royal Mail collects import VAT and customs duty on behalf of HMRC for eligible items. A physical 'Fee to pay' card (or in some cases an email from Royal Mail with a Royal Mail reference) is issued, and payment is made directly at the Royal Mail website using the reference on that card — not via a link embedded in a text message.
Importantly, the genuine Royal Mail fee-to-pay process is always linked to a specific item reference printed on a physical card or sent in an email from a @royalmail.com address. Generic texts lacking this reference are almost certainly fraudulent.
Common red flags
- Text or email about customs charges with a payment link but no printed fee-to-pay card
- Link does not go to royalmail.com
- No specific Royal Mail item reference that you can cross-check
- Message claims urgent payment is needed or the parcel is returned immediately
- Amount requested seems inconsistent with the nature of the item you are expecting
- Email comes from a [email protected] address
- Page requests full card details including CVV
How to protect yourself
- If you expect an overseas parcel, check for a physical 'Fee to pay' card delivered by your postie
- Pay genuine Royal Mail customs charges at royalmail.com/customs using the reference on the physical card
- Never pay a customs fee via a link in an unsolicited text or email
- Forward suspicious texts to 7726 and emails to the NCSC
- If card details were entered, contact your bank immediately
How to report it
- Forward smishing texts to 7726
- Report to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk
- Report to the NCSC at report.ncsc.gov.uk
- Alert Royal Mail via royalmail.com/help/scam-mail
- Contact your bank if card details were provided
Frequently asked questions
How do real Royal Mail customs charges work in the UK?
Royal Mail collects customs duty and import VAT on behalf of HMRC for eligible overseas items. You receive a physical 'Fee to pay' card, and payment is made at royalmail.com/customs using the reference number on that card.
Can I verify if a Royal Mail customs charge is real?
Yes. Go to royalmail.com/customs and enter the reference number from the fee-to-pay card. If no card arrived and you only have a text message, it is likely fraudulent.