Royal Mail "Unpaid Shipping Fee" Email Scam — UK Warning
An email or text says you have a Royal Mail parcel with an unpaid shipping or customs fee. It includes a link to pay a small amount. This is one of the most common scams in the UK. Royal Mail may charge customs fees, but they send paper notices, not emails with payment links.
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How This Scam Works
High Risk — One of the Most Common UK Delivery Scams
While Royal Mail does charge customs fees on some international parcels, they send paper notices — not emails or texts with payment links.
You receive an email or text message claiming to be from Royal Mail saying you have a parcel waiting with an unpaid shipping or customs fee. The amount is usually small — between 1 and 3 pounds — and the message includes a link to pay.
The link takes you to a fake Royal Mail website that asks for your name, address, and full credit or debit card details. The scammers use these details for larger unauthorized transactions. Because Royal Mail genuinely does charge customs fees on some international packages, this scam is particularly effective.
Action Fraud has received tens of thousands of reports about fake Royal Mail communications. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) flagged Royal Mail delivery scams as one of the most reported phishing campaigns in the UK. Reports spike after Christmas and during online shopping events.
Red Flags
- Claims you have a parcel with an unpaid fee
- Sender address or phone number is not from royalmail.com
- Link does not point to royalmail.com
- Asks for full card details to pay a very small fee (a tactic to seem harmless)
- Does not include a Royal Mail reference number you can verify
Royal Mail sends customs fee notices as grey paper cards with a unique reference number. You can pay these through the official Royal Mail website or at your local delivery office — not through emailed links.
What You Should Do
What To Do
- Do not click any links in the email or text
- Check if you received a grey 'Fee to Pay' card from Royal Mail at your address
- If you have a reference number, verify it at royalmail.com/pay-a-customs-charge
- Forward suspicious texts to 7726 and report emails through the NCSC at ncsc.gov.uk
- If you entered card details, contact your bank immediately
How to Verify Legitimately
If Royal Mail is holding a parcel that requires a customs fee, you will receive a physical grey card through your letterbox with a reference number. You can use this reference number on royalmail.com to pay the fee or arrange collection from your local delivery office. Royal Mail never charges customs fees through emailed payment links.
Sources
- Action Fraud — Fake Royal Mail lost/missing package emails — Royal Mail delivery scam reports
- National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) — Phishing: Spot and report scam emails, texts, websites and calls — UK phishing scam trends