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Parcel delivery scam texts: Royal Mail, Evri and others

Fake delivery texts ask for a small fee or your address details so they can take your card details. Here is what Royal Mail and Evri say their real messages look like.

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  1. Is this Royal Mail text a scam?
  2. Is this Evri text a scam?
  3. What do fake delivery texts usually say?
  4. Fake tracking apps on Android
  5. How do I report a parcel scam text?
  6. What to do if you clicked or paid
  7. Common questions
  8. Related guides

Quick answer: a text saying your parcel is held, your address is incomplete, or you must pay a small fee to rebook delivery is almost always a scam. Royal Mail says it won't text or email about an undeliverable item unless the sender asked for tracking notifications, and asks for a surcharge on underpaid post with a grey "Fee to Pay" card, not a text. Evri says its texts never ask for payment or ask you to reschedule. Don't tap the link. Forward the text to 7726, then delete it.

If you have already tapped the link or entered card details, see what to do if you clicked or paid.

Is this Royal Mail text a scam?

Royal Mail's own scam guidance says:

  • It only sends email and text notifications when the sender asked for them, on trackable services that offer notifications.
  • Unless tracking notifications were requested when the item was posted, it won't email, text or phone you about undeliverable mail. If it can't deliver, it leaves a "Something for you", "Sorry we missed you" or "Fee to Pay" card with next steps.
  • For a surcharge on an underpaid item, it leaves a grey "Fee to Pay" card and does not ask for payment by email or text.
  • It will never email you about an attempted delivery, and it will never send an email asking for card numbers or other personal information, or ask you to enter information on a page that isn't part of Royal Mail.

The one exception: customs fees

Royal Mail says it does sometimes text or email to say it is holding an item that has a customs fee to pay. That message links to the Royal Mail Fee to Pay site, and Royal Mail also leaves a grey Fee to Pay card, which may arrive a day or two after the text or email.

If you are not expecting a parcel from abroad, a "customs fee" text is suspicious. HMRC also warns about a text and email scam telling people they must pay Customs Duty to receive a valuable parcel that doesn't exist.

To check: don't use the link. Go to Royal Mail's website yourself, use its Track your item page, and enter the tracking number from the message. If it isn't recognised, or doesn't match anything you're expecting, it's a scam.

Is this Evri text a scam?

Evri says its genuine text messages:

  • Never ask you to reschedule a delivery or pay to do so. Evri says it attempts every delivery up to three times.
  • Never ask you for payment.
  • Never prompt you to install an app.
  • Only ever contain a tracking link to Evri's own website (the links use evri.link). Evri adds that even a link that looks like this can't be guaranteed genuine, so if you are unsure, don't tap it.
  • Always come from "Evri", never from an ordinary mobile phone number.

Evri also says its emails typically come from addresses ending @evri.com, @hermes-europe.co.uk or @myhermes.co.uk. It lists a few others on its fraud page.

Why scammers ask you to "reply Y"

Evri points out a trick some scam texts use: asking you to reply "Y" before tapping a link. Replying makes your phone treat the sender as trusted, so the link opens directly and the protection your mobile provider adds is bypassed. Don't reply to a delivery text you aren't sure about.

To check: track the parcel on Evri's website or app using the tracking number from the retailer's order confirmation, not the text.

What do fake delivery texts usually say?

The versions Royal Mail, Evri and HMRC warn about include:

  • "We missed you" or "your parcel is on hold", with a link to rebook.
  • "Your address is incomplete", asking you to update it.
  • "Pay a small fee to release your parcel" or "pay a redelivery fee".
  • A customs fee or duty for a parcel you weren't expecting.
  • A message asking you to call a number about an item "held for collection". Royal Mail warns this can be a premium-rate number or a way to get your details.
  • A link to install a "tracking app".

Evri also notes that scam messages are often unexpected, poorly written, and greet you as "Dear Customer" rather than by name, though it adds that criminals are getting better at personalising messages. Good spelling proves nothing.

Fake tracking apps on Android

The National Cyber Security Centre warns about "missed parcel" texts that link to a fake delivery tracking app. The app is malware that can steal banking details, passwords and other sensitive information, and try to spread through your contacts. Its advice is not to click the link and not to install any app the message prompts you to install.

How do I report a parcel scam text?

  • Text message: forward it to 7726. It's free and reports it to your mobile provider.
  • Scam email: forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk.
  • Royal Mail: report suspicious emails, texts, calls or Royal Mail-branded websites to reportascam@royalmail.com.
  • Lost money or been hacked: report it to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk (opens in a new tab) or on 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101.

What to do if you clicked or paid

  1. Entered card or bank details: call your bank straight away on the number on the back of your card, or on 159, which connects you to your own bank. 159 never calls you.
  2. Installed an app from the link: the NCSC says not to log in to any accounts on that phone, because the malware may steal the details. Factory reset the phone, and don't back it up first, because the backup would contain the malware too. Only restore a backup you know was made before the app was installed. If you logged in to anything after installing it, change those passwords, and any others that are the same.

Our guide to what to do if you clicked a scam link covers every case, and is my phone hacked? helps if your phone is acting strangely.

Not sure about a message? Paste it into our free Scam Check. It runs in your browser and nothing you paste is stored.

Common questions

Does Royal Mail send texts asking for a fee?

Only for customs fees. Royal Mail says it sometimes texts or emails to say it is holding an item with a customs fee, with a link to its Fee to Pay site, and it also leaves a grey Fee to Pay card. For a surcharge on underpaid post, it leaves a grey Fee to Pay card and does not ask for payment by text or email. If you're unsure, check the tracking number on Royal Mail's website yourself.

Does Evri ask you to pay to rebook a delivery?

No. Evri says its text messages will never ask you to reschedule a delivery or pay to do so, never ask for payment, and never prompt you to install an app. It says it attempts deliveries up to three times, and its texts come from "Evri", not a mobile number.

Is the "incomplete address" parcel text real?

Treat it as a scam. Royal Mail says it won't text or email about an undeliverable item unless tracking notifications were requested when the item was posted, and leaves a card instead. Evri says its texts only contain a tracking link. Don't tap the link: check the parcel on the courier's own website using the tracking number from your order.

How do I report a Royal Mail scam text?

Forward it to 7726, the free reporting number run by the mobile networks, then delete it. Royal Mail also asks for suspicious emails, texts, calls and fake Royal Mail websites to be reported to reportascam@royalmail.com.

I paid a redelivery fee on a scam site. What should I do?

Call your bank straight away on the number on the back of your card, or on 159, and tell them you entered your card details on a scam site so they can stop the card. If money has been taken, report it to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040, or to Police Scotland on 101.

Sources

Last checked: 25 September 2026

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