Parcel texts: “Your parcel could not be delivered”
Almost everyone expects a parcel now and then. That is why the parcel text is the most-sent phishing in the Netherlands. Here is how to tell a real notification from a fake one.
The message arrives by SMS, e-mail or WhatsApp: your parcel could not be delivered, the address is wrong, customs fees are due, or you must schedule a new delivery. The link takes you to a copied PostNL, DHL or DPD page where you pay “€ 1.99” — and hand over your bank details with it.
The real carriers stick to a few rules: they only message about a parcel that is actually on its way, only use their own domain (postnl.nl, dhl.nl, dpd.nl, ups.com), and never ask for delivery fees through an SMS link. Import charges for parcels from outside the EU do exist — but you pay those through the official app or site, with the tracking code you already have.
How to spot it
- 1You are not expecting a parcel.Then there is no parcel. It is usually that simple.
- 2The domain is not the carrier’s.postnl-bezorging.info, dhl-pakket.net, track-dpd.com. Look at the last two parts of the address: that must be postnl.nl, dhl.nl, dpd.nl or ups.com.
- 3A small amount must be paid.€ 0.99 “shipping”, € 1.99 “redelivery”, € 2.50 “customs”. Carriers do not charge recipients redelivery fees.
- 4No tracking code you recognise.A real notification belongs to a code that is also in your order or your app.
- 5The sender is a mobile or foreign number.PostNL and DHL text from a sender name, not from a random mobile number.
A real example, taken apart
- dhl-invoer.com is not dhl.nl.
- A real DHL message comes from a sender name, with a code you know.
- The 48-hour deadline is the pressure; the amount is the bait.
What you do
- Open the carrier’s own app or site.PostNL app, dhl.nl, dpd.nl. Enter your tracking code. Same notification there? Then it is real.
- Check the domain in the checker.Paste the link (do not open it) into the checker on this site. Copied delivery domains are usually already in it.
- Do you really expect import charges?Only for a parcel from outside the EU. Then pay through the official app — never through the link in the message.
- Report and block.Forward the text to the carrier’s reporting point (PostNL via postnl.nl) and to the Fraudehelpdesk. Block the number.
Never do this
- Pay through a link in a parcel text.
- Enter your bank details or PIN to “release a parcel”.
- Install an app “to track your parcel” outside the official app store.
Dossiers of this kind
4,914 dossiers in our database match this kind — counted by what they are, not estimated. A few:
See what is being checked now →
Questions people ask
I paid € 1.99. What do they have now?
Probably your card or login details, not just the € 1.99. Call your bank, have your card blocked and watch your statements. See Scammed — what now?.
So carriers never text?
They do, but only about a parcel on its way, from their own sender name and with links to their own domain. In doubt? Look in the app.
Why do I get these messages so often?
They are sent to millions of random numbers. It says nothing about you or about a leak at a carrier.
Paste it into the checker. Thirty seconds, and you know what others already saw.