Fake Royal Mail customs duty email claims parcel held for unpaid fee and links to card-harvesting site

What is this scam?

A wave of phishing emails impersonating Royal Mail is active in August 2026, claiming recipients have a parcel detained at a customs facility because import duty has not been paid. The messages use Royal Mail's branding and a plausible-looking tracking number, directing recipients to a fraudulent website to pay a small customs fee — typically £2–£8 — which harvests full card details. Royal Mail does not collect customs duty by email; when a genuine parcel is held, a grey 'Fee to Pay' card is posted to the delivery address, and the fee is paid through the official Royal Mail site.

Example scam message

Red flags to look out for

• The message creates urgency — threatening a fine, missed delivery, or account closure.
• Links lead to unofficial domains that don't match the real company's website.
• You weren't expecting this message and can't verify the event it references.
• It asks you to confirm payment details or personal information via a link.
• The sender's number or email address doesn't match the company's official contact.

What to do if you receive this

1. Do not click any links or pay any fee mentioned in the message.
2. Check your parcel status directly on the courier's official website using your tracking number.
3. Forward the message to 7726 (free spam reporting, works on all UK networks).
4. Report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk.