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

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

"Your parcel from the UK is being held by Customs. Pay the ₦12,500 clearance fee within 48 hours or it will be returned." Or a call from an "officer at the airport" saying a box addressed to you, containing dollars, gold or a gift from someone you met online, needs a "clearance certificate" before delivery. With so many Nigerians ordering from abroad or receiving items from family in the diaspora, these messages land on fertile ground. The rule: never pay customs or delivery fees through a link in an unexpected message or into a personal account; check with the courier or NIPOST yourself, using your tracking number.

How does the customs fee scam work?

There are two main versions:

• The mass SMS. A text or WhatsApp message, often using the name of NIPOST, Customs, DHL, UPS, FedEx or GIG Logistics, says a parcel is held and must be cleared. The link leads to a fake payment page that asks for your card details and then the OTP. The small amount is bait; the goal is your card.
• The story-driven parcel. Someone you met online, a "soldier", a "diplomat" or a "lottery agent" tells you they have sent you a valuable package. Then a "courier company" or "customs officer" calls: the parcel is held, and there is a fee. Then another fee for an "anti-terrorism certificate", "insurance", "storage". The parcel does not exist.

Both versions rely on the same ingredients: a believable authority, a small first payment and urgency.

Why is it so believable?

• Many people really are expecting parcels from online stores or relatives abroad.
• Real duties and charges do exist on some imports, so a fee does not sound strange.
• The amounts are small at first, so people pay without checking.
• The brand names are real, and fake pages copy logos and colours well.

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

• A real charge is linked to your real tracking number. You can confirm it on the official website or app of the courier or shop you used, by typing the address yourself, or with NIPOST if the parcel came by post.
• Payment goes through official channels: the courier's own website, app or office, or official government payment channels, not a personal bank account or a link in a random SMS.
• The fake message is vague. It talks about "your parcel" without a tracking number that matches the one the shop gave you.
• The web address is not the official one. Look for added words and hyphens ("customs-clearance-ng", "dhl-release") or strange endings.
• There is no "parcel full of cash" waiting for you from someone you have never met. Sending cash or gold this way is itself a red flag.
• Customs officers do not call individuals asking for transfers to personal accounts to release gifts.

What do I do right now?

1. Do not tap the link and do not pay.
2. Open the official channel yourself: the shop's app, your order confirmation email or the courier's official website, and enter your tracking number.
3. If you are not expecting a parcel, delete the message: it is a scam.
4. If someone you met online says they sent you something valuable, stop: this is a classic advance-fee scam, often linked to romance scams.
5. Block and report the number in the spam numbers directory.

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

1. Call your bank now on the number on your card or in its app. Ask them to block the card and review transactions. If you entered an OTP, tell them: a payment may already be authorised.
2. If you paid by transfer, ask the bank to try to recall it and flag the receiving account.
3. Do not pay any further fees. Every new payment only brings another request.
4. Keep evidence: messages, call logs, account numbers you paid into and receipts.
5. Report it to the police, at a station or through the Nigeria Police Force's National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) e-reporting portal, and to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
6. If your bank does not resolve your complaint, escalate it to the Central Bank of Nigeria's consumer protection department.

Frequently asked questions

I really am expecting a parcel from abroad. Could the message be real? It could coincide with a real shipment by chance. Do not use the link: check with your tracking number on the courier's official site or app. If there is a genuine charge, it will show there.

The message has the NIPOST or Customs logo. Isn't that proof? No. Logos and sender names are easy to copy. What matters is whether you can confirm the charge through official channels you find yourself.

Someone I met online sent me a parcel and customs wants money. What should I do? Do not pay. Stop and talk to someone you trust. This combination of an online relationship and a held parcel is one of the most common advance-fee scams.

I only opened the link. Am I at risk? Usually not, if you entered nothing. Close it, do not download anything and keep your phone updated.

In short

A parcel "held at customs" that you can release by paying through a link or into a personal account is almost always a scam. Check with your tracking number on the official channel, never pay strangers, and if you already gave your card, call your bank to block it and report it. And report the number in the NoCall spam numbers directory: your warning could save someone else's money.