In short
Most common fake: Undelivered parcel message asking for action or a fee.
Safest check: Check tracking in the official AusPost app with notifications turned on.
Where to report it: Send Australia Post themed scams to scams@auspost.com.au (reports only, no personal reply).
What Australia Post says
Australia Post says it will never call, text or email you asking for personal or financial details such as passwords or card numbers, or to request payment. Its tracking texts no longer include links and instead point you to auspost.com.au or the AusPost app. Source: Australia Post
Common fake Australia Post messages
These are the 5 shapes a fake Australia Post message usually takes. They are listed in the order we see them most often, and none of them is something Australia Post itself does.
- Undelivered parcel message asking for action or a fee
- Request to verify or update your delivery address
- Link to schedule a redelivery
- Confirm your details message with a fake tracking number
- Unexpected call asking for payment
Australia Post's real web addresses
Genuine Australia Post links and emails use these domains. Look at the part just before the first single slash: auspost.com.au is real, but auspost-support-center.com or auspost.com.au.account-check.top are not.
- auspost.com.au
Scammers can also hide a fake link behind real-looking text. Learn how to read a web address.
How to check a Australia Post message safely
- Check tracking in the official AusPost app with notifications turned on
- Type auspost.com.au yourself instead of using links in messages
- Genuine texts use the registered sender names AusPost or StarTrack, so be wary of messages marked Unverified
- Do not use contact numbers given in the message, look them up yourself
How to report a fake Australia Post message
- Send Australia Post themed scams to scams@auspost.com.au (reports only, no personal reply). Official details on auspost.com.au
- Report the scam to Scamwatch, run by the ACCC. Official details on scamwatch.gov.au
Also report it to the official fraud service in your country. See the worldwide list.
If you clicked, paid or shared details
Act quickly. It makes a difference.
- If you entered card or bank details, call your bank now using the number on your card, and ask them to block the card.
- If you entered a password, change it at auspost.com.au, typed into your browser yourself, and turn on two-step verification. Do not use any link from the message.
- Expect follow-up calls or messages pretending to help, sometimes claiming to be from Australia Post security. Never share one-time codes and never move money to a "safe account".
- Send Australia Post themed scams to scams@auspost.com.au (reports only, no personal reply), then delete the message.
More help: Fake delivery texts and customs-fee scams and what to do after a scam.
How to protect yourself next time
Take your details off data broker sites
Scammers buy phone numbers, home addresses and family details from people-search and data broker sites. The less of that is public, the fewer and less convincing the scam messages you get.
Free: You can ask each site to delete your details yourself. In the EU and the UK, data protection law gives you that right.
- Incogni Partner link Sends removal requests to data brokers for you, and keeps sending them.
Watch for anyone using your identity
If you shared ID documents, card details or a Social Security number, monitoring can alert you when someone opens credit or accounts in your name.
Free: In the US, a credit freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion is free and blocks most new-credit fraud. Elsewhere, ask your bank and your credit reference agency about fraud alerts.
- Aura Partner link US identity theft protection with credit monitoring and fraud insurance.
Compare the tools that help, and what each costs
Links marked Partner link may earn us a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes our advice, and the free option always comes first. Affiliate disclosure.
Questions people ask
Does Australia Post send messages asking for payment or personal details?
Australia Post says it will never call, text or email you asking for personal or financial details such as passwords or card numbers, or to request payment. Its tracking texts no longer include links and instead point you to auspost.com.au or the AusPost app.
How can I check if a Australia Post message is real?
Check tracking in the official AusPost app with notifications turned on. Type auspost.com.au yourself instead of using links in messages. Genuine texts use the registered sender names AusPost or StarTrack, so be wary of messages marked Unverified. Do not use contact numbers given in the message, look them up yourself.
How do I report a fake Australia Post message?
Send Australia Post themed scams to scams@auspost.com.au (reports only, no personal reply). Report the scam to Scamwatch, run by the ACCC.
I clicked a link in a fake Australia Post message but did not enter anything. Am I at risk?
Opening a link is far less serious than filling one in. Close it, and if you need your account, reach it by typing auspost.com.au yourself. Clicking does tell the sender your number is live, so expect more messages for a while: send australia post themed scams to scams@auspost.com.au (reports only, no personal reply).
Have you had this one?
Tell other people what the message said and how it reached you. It helps someone recognise it before they tap.
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Official sources and further reading
We check our pages against official advice from the organisations themselves and from government agencies.
- Online security, scams and fraud (Australia Post)
- Scam alerts (Australia Post)
- Report a scam (Scamwatch (ACCC))