Fake Delivery Address Update and Redelivery Fee by SMS

How it looks by SMS, the red flags and what to do.

A text message is the cheapest way for a scammer to reach thousands of phones at once, and the sender name can look like a bank, a courier or a government office. Fake Delivery Address Update and Redelivery Fee is one of the ways this shows up: An SMS says your parcel is on hold because the address is incomplete and asks for a small fee on a lookalike link. The link steals card details.

What fake delivery address update and redelivery fee looks like by SMS

• A sender name that resembles a bank, courier, tax or utility, or an ordinary mobile number.
• A very short message with a deadline such as "today" or "within 24 hours".
• A shortened or oddly spelled link that does not match the real website.

The scammer sends the same text to thousands of numbers, relying on the chance that some recipients are expecting a parcel. The sender name is made to resemble a courier or postal service, and the link is shortened so the real address is hidden. It leads to a page that copies the look of a courier tracking site, with a logo, a reference number and a clear countdown.

Red flags to check on the text message

• The message asks for a fee to deliver a parcel you cannot clearly link to an order.
• The link is shortened or the address differs from the courier's real website.
• A tight deadline of a day is given before the parcel is 'returned'.
• A page that should take a small fee asks for the OTP, CVV or card PIN.
• The link domain is not the one you type yourself for that organisation.
• The message asks for an OTP, PIN, card number or password.

What to do

1. Check your orders in the shopping app, and track the parcel using the courier's own app or site typed by hand.
2. Do not open the link or type any card detail.
3. Delete the SMS after reporting the number in Sanchar Saathi under Chakshu.
4. Delete the message and tell family members who may get the same text.
5. Do not reply, do not tap the link and do not call the number in the message.
6. Open the official app or type the official website yourself to see if there is any real notice.

You can report suspicious SMS and calls on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) of the Department of Telecommunications.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call your bank through the number on your card and ask to block the card immediately.
2. Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in with the SMS and the page link.
3. Check the card statement for other charges and tell the bank about each of them.
4. Do not install any file the page offered; remove it if it was installed.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Paste the SMS into Scam check in Safeavio Sentinel, or share it from your messages app, and it shows the reasons it looks risky, such as urgency and a fee request. Link check tests a link before you open it for lookalike domains and shortened links. Safeavio does not read your messages by itself and cannot confirm whether a real parcel is waiting for you.

Full guide: Fake Delivery Address Update and Redelivery Fee: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: WhatsApp, phone call, email.

Questions