High riskDelivery

AusPost Text Scam

This scam sends a fake Australia Post text about a held parcel or unpaid fee, linking to a phishing page that collects your card and personal details under the guise of releasing or redelivering your package.

Quick verdict

Risk level
High risk
Scam type
Delivery impersonation scam
Main red flag
An unexpected AusPost text about a held parcel or small fee asking you to confirm details through a link.
What to do first
Do not click the link. Check any delivery using the official Australia Post website or app.

Understanding this scam

This scam sends a fake Australia Post text about a held parcel or unpaid fee, linking to a phishing page that collects your card and personal details under the guise of releasing or redelivering your package.

Delivery scams (a form of smishing) impersonate couriers with a believable small problem, an unpaid fee, a wrong address, a held parcel, timed to arrive when you might be expecting something. The link leads to a cloned courier site that harvests your card details and a bank one-time code.

If you take one thing from this guide, make it this: An unexpected AusPost text about a held parcel or small fee asking you to confirm details through a link. Do not click the link. Check any delivery using the official Australia Post website or app.

If your message looks slightly different, check the Fake Delivery Text Scam or the Fake Customs Fee Text, both are close cousins of this pattern. Every related guide lives in the Delivery & Postal Scams guides, and the scam checker can scan the text you received.

A typical example

Example pattern, not a real report
Example pattern: 'AusPost: Your parcel is held at the depot due to an unpaid fee of $1.99. Confirm your details to release it: [unfamiliar link]'

This is a fictional, anonymised example used to illustrate the pattern. It is not a verified real message, and any names are used only to show how the scam typically reads.

The tell here: An unexpected AusPost text about a held parcel or small fee asking you to confirm details through a link.

What the data shows

#2
fake package-delivery texts were the second most-reported text scam in 2022
Source: US Federal Trade Commission
$330M
reported lost to text-message scams in the US in 2022
Source: US Federal Trade Commission

Warning signs

  • An unexpected delivery message when you may not be expecting a parcel
  • A claim that a parcel is held pending a small fee or address confirmation
  • A link that does not lead to the official auspost.com.au domain
  • Urgent wording warning the parcel will be returned or destroyed
  • A request for personal or card information to release or redeliver the parcel

Your safest response

  • Do not click the link or enter any details
  • Track any parcel directly on the official Australia Post website or app
  • Forward the text to Australia Post's reporting address or your mobile provider if available
  • Delete the message and block the sender

If you have already engaged

  • Do not enter any more information on the page
  • If you entered card details, contact your bank to flag or freeze the card
  • Change the password for any account where you reused that login
  • Watch your statements for unexpected charges

What to avoid

  • Do not reply to the message
  • Do not share verification codes
  • Do not download any app the link suggests

You might also see

High risk Delivery

Fake Delivery Text Scam

This scam impersonates a courier with a missed-delivery text and a link to a fake page that asks for a fee or your personal and card details.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
High risk Delivery

Fake Customs Fee Text

This scam texts that a parcel is held in customs and a fee is due, linking to a fake page that collects your card and personal details.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
High risk Delivery

Purolator Text Scam

This scam sends a fake Purolator courier text about a missed delivery or redelivery fee, linking to a phishing page that collects your card and personal details while posing as a parcel rescheduling page.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team

Questions people ask

Does Australia Post charge release fees by text?
Genuine charges can be confirmed through the official Australia Post website or app. A small fee demanded through a text link, with a request for card details, is a common scam pattern.
I am expecting a parcel, so is the text real?
Scammers rely on this. Even when you are expecting something, check the tracking number on the official site or app rather than using the link in the text.
What if I already paid the fee?
Contact your bank right away to report the transaction and protect your card. Acting quickly improves the chance that the charge can be stopped or disputed.
How can I report an AusPost text scam?
You can report it to Australia Post through its official scam reporting channel, to your mobile provider, and to your national scam reporting service.

Last reviewed June 2026 · Written & reviewed by the

Disclaimer: This page provides educational information only to help you recognise common scam patterns. It is not legal, financial, cybersecurity, or law enforcement advice, and it does not confirm whether any specific message, company, or person is genuine or fraudulent. When in doubt, contact the official organisation directly and report concerns to your local authorities.