Scams to know

Parcel delivery scam texts (AusPost, DHL, StarTrack)

4 min read · Updated 31 October 2026

"Your parcel could not be delivered due to an incomplete address. Please update your details within 24 hours." It arrives when half the country is waiting on a delivery - which is exactly why it works.

What the scam looks like

A text or email that appears to be from Australia Post, StarTrack, DHL, FedEx, Aramex, Couriers Please or "your courier";
a reason the parcel is stuck - incomplete address, customs, unpaid duty, failed delivery;
a link to a convincing copy of the courier's website;
a small fee - $1.99, $3.50 - to "redeliver" or "release" the parcel.

The fee is a hook. The fake site collects your name, address and card details, then uses or sells them. Some versions ask you to install a "tracking app" that is actually malware.

How to tell it's fake

You weren't expecting anything - or you were, but from a different courier.
The link isn't the courier's real domain (look for extra words: auspost-redeliver, au-post-help, .info, .top).
It wants money to deliver something you've already paid for.
It came from a random mobile number.

Australia Post says it will never ask for personal or financial information by text or email, or ask you to pay a fee to redeliver a parcel by a link. Track parcels in the courier's official app or by typing their website address yourself.

If you entered your card details

Call your bank on the number on the back of your card and ask them to block it. Watch your statements, and be ready for follow-up calls pretending to be your bank's fraud team - they're part of the same scam.

Report it

Report the sender's number on BadCall - choose "Texted me" and paste the message - and to Scamwatch. Australia Post also takes reports of scams using its name.

See every number reported for these texts: scam texts · genuine delivery calls.