Parcel held at customs: the fake fee by text or phone call

Parcel held at customs: the fake fee by text or phone call

"Your parcel is being held by Customs. Pay the outstanding charge of €2.49 to release it." Or a call from someone saying they're from "the customs office" or "the delivery company" about an international package. The message usually comes with a link and some urgency: "if you don't pay within 48 hours, the parcel will be returned". Real customs charges do exist in Ireland, which is what makes this scam work, but you can always check and pay them through the official channel without using a link someone sends you.

How does the customs fee scam work?

1. The message or call. In the name of An Post, DPD, DHL, UPS, GLS, "Irish Customs" or Revenue. It may come by text, WhatsApp, email or phone.
2. The small fee. A charge for "customs", "VAT", "handling" or "storage", usually a few euro.
3. The link or the phone payment. The link leads to a fake page that copies the courier or Revenue and asks for your card details, then the code your bank sends you. By phone, they ask for your card details directly.
4. The real damage. With your card and the code, they make much larger payments. Some versions also install malicious apps on your phone ("download our app to track your parcel").

Why is it so believable?

• Real customs charges exist. Since July 2021, VAT applies to goods of any value imported into Ireland from outside the EU, including from Great Britain since Brexit. So many people have genuinely paid a customs or VAT charge on a parcel.
• Almost everyone is expecting a parcel at any given time.
• The amount is tiny, so it doesn't seem worth checking.
• The page looks identical to the real one.

How do I tell a real customs charge from a fake one?

• Check what you ordered. If you haven't bought anything from outside the EU recently, a customs charge makes no sense. Goods bought from shops inside the EU don't go through customs.
• Check with the courier yourself. Open the website or app of the courier handling your order, typing the address yourself (for An Post, anpost.com), and enter the tracking number from your order confirmation. If a real charge is due, it will show up there and you can pay it there.
• The amount and the details should match your order. A genuine notice refers to your specific parcel and tracking number, not "your parcel" in general.
• Look at the link without tapping it. Domains like "anpost-customs-fee", "revenue-parcel-ie" or "dhl-ie-release" aren't official.
• Revenue doesn't text you links to pay parcel charges. Revenue keeps a page on fraudulent emails, texts and phone calls using its name. For general information about customs and imports, see Revenue's customs section.
• Be wary of calls. A courier doesn't normally ring you to take card details over the phone for a customs charge.

What do I do right now?

1. Don't tap the link and don't give card details over the phone.
2. Check your recent orders: is anything coming from outside the EU?
3. Go to the courier's official tracking with your tracking number, typing the address yourself.
4. If there's a real charge, pay it there, and only there.
5. Delete the message and block the number, and report it in the spam numbers directory.
6. Don't install apps from links in messages to "track your parcel".

What if I've already paid or given my card details?

1. Ring your bank immediately on the number on the back of your card or in its app. Ask them to block the card and issue a new one.
2. If you entered a code you received by text or approved something in your banking app, tell the bank: a larger payment may already be authorised.
3. Watch your statements over the following weeks and turn on payment notifications.
4. If you installed an app from the link, uninstall it, run a security scan, and change the passwords you've used on that phone, starting with your email and banking.
5. Report it to the Gardaí at your local Garda station, with screenshots of the message and the link.
6. Be wary of follow-up calls from your "bank's fraud team": your bank will never ask you to move money to a "safe account" or to read out a code.

If your bank won't refund unauthorised payments and you disagree, make a formal complaint to the bank; if that doesn't resolve it, you can go to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO).

Frequently asked questions

I bought something from a website outside the EU. Could the charge be real? Yes, it could. That's why you should check through the courier's official website or app with your tracking number. If it's real, you'll find it there, with the right amount.

Do An Post or other couriers send texts about customs charges? Couriers may notify you that a charge is due, by text or email. The safe approach is the same either way: don't use the link; go to the official website or app yourself and enter your tracking number.

The message came by WhatsApp from a foreign number. Is that a sign? Yes. Couriers don't usually contact you about customs charges from personal foreign numbers on WhatsApp.

I paid only €2. Is it worth ringing the bank? Yes. The €2 was never the point: they have your card details. Block the card before they use it.

In short

Real customs charges exist, which is exactly why scammers copy them. Don't tap links or pay by phone; check through the courier's official website or app with your tracking number, and pay only there if something is genuinely due. If you've already entered your card, ring your bank now and report it to the Gardaí. And report the number in the NoCall spam numbers directory so others are warned.