Royal Mail Impersonation Scams
Fraudsters send fake Royal Mail texts and emails to harvest card details under the guise of a missed delivery or unpaid customs charge. The real Royal Mail will not ask you to pay fees through links in unsolicited messages.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Royal Mail delivers to every address in the United Kingdom, making its name one of the most recognisable in British daily life. Scammers have repeatedly exploited that familiarity with smishing campaigns — fake texts dressed up as Royal Mail missed-delivery or customs-fee alerts.
The messages typically claim your parcel is being held and direct you to a convincing fake site to pay a small fee. The aim is always to collect your card details or personal information.
Royal Mail is the victim of this impersonation. The organisation actively advises customers about known scam campaigns. Being aware of the tell-tale signs keeps you protected whether or not you are expecting a delivery.
How scammers impersonate it
- Sending texts in the style of Royal Mail notifications claiming a parcel requires a customs payment
- Building fake websites that closely copy royalmail.com, including logos and typography
- Spoofing Royal Mail sender names in SMS messages
- Including a plausible reference number to appear legitimate
- Claiming a very small fee — such as a few pence or pounds — to make the request seem trivial
- Using the phrase 'your item is being held' to create urgency
What the real organisation never does
- Send unsolicited texts asking you to pay a customs or redelivery fee via a link
- Ask for your full card details, CVV, or banking password to release a parcel
- Threaten to destroy or return your parcel if you do not pay within hours
- Ask for payment via gift cards, cryptocurrency, or money transfer
- Ask you to install software to receive a delivery
Common red flags
- Unexpected text about a parcel you were not anticipating
- A payment link rather than a tracking number to check on royalmail.com
- A very small fee — scammers keep it small to reduce resistance
- Urgency — 'your parcel will be returned within 24 hours'
- The sender number is a standard mobile number rather than an official shortcode
- URL does not match royalmail.com exactly
- Poor grammar or inconsistent formatting
Sanitized example messages
Illustrative, sanitized examples. Personal details are replaced with placeholders such as [phone number] and [fake link].
Text: 'Royal Mail: We have a parcel for you but require a customs payment of [amount]. Visit [fake link] before [date].'
Email: 'Your package [tracking number] is ready for collection — a redelivery fee of [amount] applies. Pay at [fake link].'
Text: 'Royal Mail: Your item could not be delivered. Reschedule at [fake link] or it will be returned.'
How to verify
- Go directly to royalmail.com and enter your tracking number in the official tool
- Check whether you are genuinely expecting a delivery before acting on any notification
- If a customs charge is legitimately due, you will normally receive a formal card through your letterbox — not just a text
- Contact Royal Mail through the number on royalmail.com if you are uncertain
- Report suspicious texts to 7726 (SPAM) from your mobile
What to do if you're targeted
- Do not click any links or pay any fee through an unsolicited message
- Report the message to Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk) and to Royal Mail
- Forward suspicious texts to 7726
- If you entered card details, contact your bank immediately
Frequently asked questions
Does Royal Mail charge customs fees by text?
If a genuine customs charge applies, Royal Mail typically leaves a card through your door or sends a formal letter. An unsolicited text with a payment link is a strong indicator of a scam.
I paid the fee. What should I do?
Contact your bank or card provider immediately and ask them to monitor or block the card. Report the fraud to Action Fraud and your mobile carrier.
Is Royal Mail responsible for these scam texts?
No. Royal Mail is the victim of this impersonation. They actively publish warnings about fake campaigns and work with authorities to address the problem.