It’s that time of year again - when online shopping peaks, deliveries pile up, and inboxes fill with shipping updates. Unfortunately, it’s also prime time for fraudsters. In the weeks surrounding major retail events like Black Friday and Christmas, delivery scams spike dramatically.
The perfect storm for scammers
Every year, billions of legitimate parcels are shipped across the UK. In 2024 alone, Royal Mail processed over 4.2 billion parcels. Fraudsters exploit this activity by sending fake text messages and emails claiming to be from couriers such as Royal Mail, DPD, Evri or Amazon. These messages often contain a short link asking recipients to pay a small redelivery fee - usually between £1.99 and £3.99 - or to “confirm delivery details”.
While the amount seems trivial, these scams are designed to harvest card details, personal data and sometimes install malware. Once details are captured, victims may be targeted by further scams or unauthorised transactions.
How delivery scams have evolved
Historically, delivery scams contained clear phishing links, often with crude spelling errors. Today, many are far more convincing. Some use linkless messages - no URLs at all - but ask the recipient to reply “YES” or call a number. Others spoof genuine courier domains or mimic legitimate customer service chat styles.
Our Threat Intelligence division has identified a clear shift toward conversational social engineering. Fraudsters initiate small interactions to build trust, then escalate. For example, a message reading “Your parcel is waiting for delivery confirmation. Reply Y to proceed.” is enough to start the engagement loop. Once the victim replies, a follow-up message directs them to a fake payment portal or triggers a call from the scammer.
Why people think delivery scams are genuine
The psychology behind delivery scams is simple: anticipation and urgency. When people expect parcels, they’re less suspicious of related messages. During busy seasons, the mental load of managing multiple orders and deliveries makes it harder to distinguish genuine communications from fraudulent ones.
A 2023 Which? survey found that 1 in 3 UK consumers clicked a delivery-related message that turned out to be fake. Most said they were “in a hurry” or “expected a delivery that day”.
How to protect yourself and your family
- Avoid clicking links in texts or emails. Go directly to the courier’s official website and enter your tracking number manually.
- Check the sender’s domain. Official courier domains typically end in “.co.uk” - not “.com.uk” or “.net”.
- Be cautious of small payment requests. Couriers do not charge random redelivery fees.
- Educate your household. Young adults and older relatives are common targets. Share examples and encourage them to verify messages before acting.
- Report suspicious texts. Forward scam messages to 7726 (the UK’s free spam reporting number).
Beyond individuals - a growing brand risk
Delivery scams also damage trust in legitimate courier brands. Our Fraud OS research found that each major impersonation wave leads to spikes in customer complaints - even for genuine firms. Companies that don’t respond quickly risk long-term reputational harm. We help logistics firms deploy Fraud OS-based incident response and AI-generated awareness content to protect their customers.
Final thought
Scammers follow the seasons. As consumers embrace convenience, criminals exploit it. Awareness, patience and verification are your best defences. Before you click, pause - that message may not be from your courier at all.
