The message says a package addressed to you is held at customs and will be returned or destroyed unless a small fee is paid — often the equivalent of a few dollars. The amount is deliberately trivial. Paying it feels cheaper than arguing.
Why the fee is small
The first payment is not the objective. It establishes that you respond to pressure, that your card or account works, and that you will act without verifying. What follows is an escalation: a customs penalty, a clearance charge, a refundable deposit, each larger than the last, each framed as the final step.
In a second variant, the small fee exists only to harvest card details on a convincing payment page. The charge itself may never appear. The card data is what was wanted.
The "contraband in your parcel" escalation
Some versions pivot into an accusation: the parcel contained drugs, forged documents or a SIM card, and you are now a suspect. At that point it has merged with the digital arrest script, and the demands become far larger. Treat any call that moves from delivery to criminal allegation as fraud immediately.
How to check in ten seconds
- Open the courier's official site by typing the address yourself, and enter the tracking number there.
- If you are not expecting a parcel, you almost certainly do not have one.
- Genuine duties are payable through the courier's own app, website or at the depot — with a receipt.
- No courier or customs office requests payment by instant bank transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency.
If you have already paid, treat the card as compromised: contact the issuer, dispute the charge, and check for recurring authorisations. If you paid by instant transfer, contact your bank the same day and report to your national cybercrime authority.