Royal Mail QR-Code Fake Surcharge Payment Scam (Quishing)
Fraudsters attach QR-code stickers to Royal Mail drop-boxes, post offices, and missed-delivery slips, claiming recipients must scan and pay a surcharge before their parcel can be released. Royal Mail never takes payment via QR codes on physical signage or cards.
Part of: Quishing: Physical Payment Point QR Code Scams
Last reviewed: 8 June 2026
Royal Mail handles tens of millions of items each week, and the brand is recognised on every British high street. This familiarity makes it an attractive vehicle for quishing attacks — phishing that uses QR codes rather than typed URLs. Criminals place stickers at physical Royal Mail touchpoints or print fake delivery slips with a QR code claiming a surcharge is owed.
The QR destination is a website that mimics Royal Mail's colour scheme and branding and presents a payment form claiming a customs surcharge, redelivery fee, or postage shortfall. Victims who scan and pay are surrendering card details to fraudsters with no package at the end of the process.
Royal Mail's genuine payment process for items with outstanding postage uses clearly documented channels on royalmail.com. It does not require QR-code payment at a physical collection point, and payment is never a condition of releasing a parcel at a post-office counter.
How this scam works on the Royal Mail brand
A sticker overlay is applied to a Royal Mail collection-point panel, post-box door, or community notice board near a delivery office. The sticker bears the Royal Mail logo and the text Scan to pay outstanding surcharge and collect your parcel. The QR code leads to a site such as royalmail-surcharge.com.
Some campaigns distribute printed cards that look like official Royal Mail missed-delivery slips, complete with a barcode, a reference number, and a QR code for payment. The cards are posted through letterboxes in areas with high parcel volumes.
A variant targets businesses: a card styled as a Royal Mail business-account invoice notice is left at reception, with a QR code claiming a VAT adjustment is owed before a consignment can be cleared.
Common red flags
- Physical card or sticker with a Royal Mail QR code that leads to a payment page rather than royalmail.com
- QR destination is not exactly royalmail.com
- Card claims a surcharge must be paid before collection — Royal Mail post offices do not work this way
- The QR code is printed on a sticker that appears to be applied over original Royal Mail signage
- Slip has no return address, staff contact name, or Customer Service number
- Payment page asks for full card details including CVV to release a parcel
- The reference number on the card cannot be tracked at royalmail.com
How to protect yourself
- Never pay a Royal Mail surcharge via a QR code on a physical card or sticker
- Verify any parcel status or fee at royalmail.com by entering your tracking number
- If a surcharge is genuinely owed, Royal Mail will have communicated it through a formal customs charge process, not a QR slip
- Report suspicious stickers or cards to the post office staff immediately so they can be removed
- Photograph the card or sticker before removing it for reporting purposes
- If you scanned and paid, contact your bank immediately to dispute the charge
- Report the incident to Action Fraud
How to report it
- Report to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040
- Alert Royal Mail to the fraudulent card via their contact page at royalmail.com/help/contact-us
- Forward any accompanying SMS to 7726
- Report to the National Cyber Security Centre at report.ncsc.gov.uk
- File a police report if money was lost
Frequently asked questions
Does Royal Mail ever use QR codes on delivery or collection notices?
Royal Mail does include QR codes on some official communications, but these direct you to royalmail.com for account management — not to a payment page. A QR code on a physical card or sticker that asks for card payment is not from Royal Mail.
How does the real Royal Mail surcharge process work?
If an item has insufficient postage, Royal Mail delivers it with a surcharge notice that tells you to pay online at royalmail.com/collections or at a delivery office counter. Payment is processed through the official royalmail.com portal, not through a QR code on a separate card.
I paid the QR surcharge. Can I get a refund?
Contact your bank or card issuer immediately to dispute the transaction and block the card for further use. Royal Mail surcharges paid through the genuine portal are non-refundable, but a fraudulent payment made to a scammer is a matter for your bank's fraud team.