High riskDelivery

Customs Duty Email Scam

This scam emails a fake customs or import duty notice claiming a parcel is held until you pay a fee, linking to a page that collects your card and personal details.

Quick verdict

Risk level
High risk
Scam type
Delivery impersonation (phishing)
Main red flag
An email demanding a customs or import fee to release a parcel, via a link.
What to do first
Do not pay through the link. Verify any charge with the courier's official tracking.

How this scam works

This scam emails a fake customs or import duty notice claiming a parcel is held until you pay a fee, linking to a page that collects your card and personal details.

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.

In short, the giveaway is usually simple: An email demanding a customs or import fee to release a parcel, via a link. Do not pay through the link. Verify any charge with the courier's official tracking.

Scammers rotate tactics constantly, the same operation may also run the Fake Customs Fee Text and the Fake Delivery Text Scam. See the full Delivery & Postal Scams guides hub, or test a suspicious message with the scam checker.

How to spot this scam

  • A customs or import fee demanded by email link
  • A parcel you cannot match to a real order
  • A link that is not the courier's or customs' official site
  • Urgent wording about the parcel being returned
  • A request for card and personal details

What the message looks like

Example pattern, not a real report
Example pattern: 'Your parcel is held at customs pending an import duty of $3.50. Pay now to release it for delivery: [suspicious 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.

What gives it away: An email demanding a customs or import fee to release a parcel, via a link.

The scale of it

#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

How to protect yourself

  • Verify any customs charge through the courier's official tracking
  • Check with the retailer you ordered from
  • Report the email as phishing and delete it
  • Pay genuine duties only through official channels

Already responded? Do this now

  • Do not enter card or personal details on the page
  • If you paid, contact your bank to flag or freeze your card
  • Change passwords for any reused login
  • Watch your statements for unexpected charges

Mistakes to avoid

  • Do not pay customs fees through an email link
  • Do not enter card details to release a parcel
  • Do not assume it is real because you ordered something

Related scams to know

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

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
Medium risk Delivery

Parcel Insurance Claim Scam

This scam messages that your parcel was lost or damaged and you can claim insurance compensation, linking to a page that collects your bank, card, and personal details to 'process the payout'.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team

Common questions

How are real customs charges handled?
Genuine duties are confirmed through the courier's official tracking and paid via official channels, not random email links demanding card details.
I did order from abroad. Could it be real?
Scammers rely on that. Verify any charge through the courier's official tracking and the retailer, not the email link.
I paid the fee. What now?
Contact your bank to protect your card, change any reused passwords, and watch for unexpected charges.
How do I report it?
Report the email to the courier through official channels, mark it as phishing in your email, and delete it.

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.