In short
Most common fake: Text asking for a small fee (about 1 to 3 pounds) to reschedule a delivery.
Safest check: Enter the tracking number yourself at royalmail.com/track-your-item.
Where to report it: Forward scam emails, or send a screenshot of scam texts, to reportascam@royalmail.com.
What Royal Mail says
Royal Mail says it only sends email and text notifications when the sender asked for them on a tracked service, and the only time it asks for payment by email or text is when a customs fee is due. It never asks for card numbers, passwords or personal details by email, or asks you to enter details on a page that is not part of Royal Mail. Source: Royal Mail
Common fake Royal Mail messages
These are the 5 shapes a fake Royal Mail message usually takes. They are listed in the order we see them most often, and none of them is something Royal Mail itself does.
- Text asking for a small fee (about 1 to 3 pounds) to reschedule a delivery
- Fake customs charge or failed delivery email
- Link to confirm parcel details on a lookalike site
- Fake Royal Mail stamp shops offering big discounts
- Missed parcel text that tries to get you to install a fake tracking app
Royal Mail's real web addresses
Genuine Royal Mail links and emails use these domains. Look at the part just before the first single slash: royalmail.com is real, but royalmail-support-center.com or royalmail.com.account-check.top are not.
- royalmail.com
Scammers can also hide a fake link behind real-looking text. Learn how to read a web address.
How to check a Royal Mail message safely
- Enter the tracking number yourself at royalmail.com/track-your-item
- Genuine fees are usually explained on a grey Fee to Pay card left by Royal Mail
- Type royalmail.com into your browser instead of tapping links in messages
How to report a fake Royal Mail message
- Forward scam emails, or send a screenshot of scam texts, to reportascam@royalmail.com. Official details on royalmail.com
- Forward the scam text to 7726, free on most UK networks. Official details on ncsc.gov.uk
- If you lost money, report it to Report Fraud (reportfraud.police.uk), or to Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland. Official details on reportfraud.police.uk
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 royalmail.com, 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 Royal Mail security. Never share one-time codes and never move money to a "safe account".
- Forward scam emails, or send a screenshot of scam texts, to reportascam@royalmail.com, 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 Royal Mail send messages asking for payment or personal details?
Royal Mail says it only sends email and text notifications when the sender asked for them on a tracked service, and the only time it asks for payment by email or text is when a customs fee is due. It never asks for card numbers, passwords or personal details by email, or asks you to enter details on a page that is not part of Royal Mail.
How can I check if a Royal Mail message is real?
Enter the tracking number yourself at royalmail.com/track-your-item. Genuine fees are usually explained on a grey Fee to Pay card left by Royal Mail. Type royalmail.com into your browser instead of tapping links in messages.
How do I report a fake Royal Mail message?
Forward scam emails, or send a screenshot of scam texts, to reportascam@royalmail.com. Forward the scam text to 7726, free on most UK networks. If you lost money, report it to Report Fraud (reportfraud.police.uk), or to Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland.
I clicked a link in a fake Royal Mail 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 royalmail.com yourself. Clicking does tell the sender your number is live, so expect more messages for a while: forward scam emails, or send a screenshot of scam texts, to reportascam@royalmail.com.
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.
No stories yet. Yours could be the one that warns someone.
Official sources and further reading
We check our pages against official advice from the organisations themselves and from government agencies.
- Help with online security (Royal Mail)
- Typical online scams to look out for (Royal Mail)
- Report a scam text message (National Cyber Security Centre)