Royal Mail scam texts and emails: is that message real?

“Your parcel is on hold due to an unpaid fee.” “Your item is at our warehouse, rebook here.” Royal Mail never asks for unpaid postage by text or email. It does send some real texts and emails, about customs fees and tracking, so the link is what gives a fake away. Paste the message below to see where its link really goes before you tap.

Updated 23 October 2026 · 4 min read

Check a Royal Mail message now

Check one now

Paste the Royal Mail message

Copy the whole text or email and paste it here, or paste just the link. Peekray picks out the links (up to 8) and shows where each one really goes, with a clear answer such as Safe, Check first, Suspicious or Scam.

To copy a text, press and hold the message, then tap Copy. Royal Mail is one of the big names Peekray knows, so a site with Royal Mail in its name that isn’t Royal Mail’s own is flagged.

or type or paste it here

Only the web addresses are sent for checking. Screenshots are read on your device, and our server never reads or keeps the rest of your message.

Got a QR code?

Check it before you open it. The code is read in your browser, and only a web address in it is sent for checking.

What they look like

A fee you don’t owe, and a link to pay it

Made-up examples based on real scams. Their links end in .example, so they lead nowhere: no one can own a .example address. The phone number is one kept for fiction.

  • A fee to release your parcel

    Royal Mail never asks for unpaid postage by text.

  • A customs fee by email

    Real customs emails exist, so the link is what tells.

The facts

How Royal Mail really contacts you

6,650UK searches a month about Royal Mail scams, the most for any brand in a 2026 study of search data. (BrokerChooser, August 2026)

  • Card

    A grey card for unpaid postage

    If an item has too little postage, Royal Mail leaves a grey “Fee to Pay” card. It never asks for that payment by text or email.

  • Customs

    Real customs fee messages

    For a parcel from abroad, Royal Mail may text or email about a customs fee if the sender gave it your details. So a customs message can be real: check where its link goes.

  • Text

    Tracking the sender asked for

    Otherwise, Royal Mail only texts or emails you with tracking updates if the sender asked for them when they posted the item.

  • Never

    No bank details on other sites

    Royal Mail says it never asks for your bank details, passwords or personal data, never emails attachments you didn’t ask for, and never asks you to enter details on a site that isn’t part of Royal Mail.

Spot it

Four signs of a fake Royal Mail message

  1. 01

    A fee for unpaid postage, by text or email

    Royal Mail leaves a grey card for that. A text or email asking you to pay unpaid postage before an item can be delivered is a scam.

  2. 02

    A link to a site that isn’t Royal Mail’s

    Royal Mail never asks you to enter details on a site that isn’t part of Royal Mail. Read the site name from the right: royalmail.com.parcel‑fee.example is really parcel‑fee.example. Paste the message above to see where the link goes.

  3. 03

    It asks for your card or personal details

    Royal Mail never asks for your bank details, passwords or personal data. Fake pages ask for your name, address and full card details to “rebook” delivery.

  4. 04

    An item “held at our warehouse”, with a deadline

    Royal Mail’s own scam examples include texts saying an item is held at a warehouse or was sent back to a local facility, with a link and a date to act by. The rush is there to stop you checking.

Evri, DPD and other parcel texts

Got one?

What to do with a Royal Mail message

  1. 1

    Don’t tap the link or reply.

  2. 2

    To check on a parcel, type royalmail.com into your browser or open the Royal Mail app yourself, and use the tracking number from the shop or sender. If you have a grey Fee to Pay card, pay with the details on the card at royalmail.com.

  3. 3

    Report it (see below), then delete it.

Paid the fee? What to do now

Report it

Where to report a Royal Mail scam (UK)

In the UK

A text
Forward it to 7726. It’s free. You can also send a screenshot of it to reportascam@royalmail.com.
An email
Forward it to reportascam@royalmail.com, then delete it.
The fake website
Report it to the National Cyber Security Centre so it can investigate.
Lost money
Tell your bank, then report it to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.

Let Peekray do it

Check the next “Royal Mail” text before you tap.

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FAQ

Common questions

Does Royal Mail text you about a fee to pay?

Not for unpaid postage: Royal Mail leaves a grey “Fee to Pay” card for that, and never asks for that payment by text or email. It may text or email about a customs fee on a parcel from abroad, if the sender gave it your details, so paste the message into Peekray to see where its link goes.

A text says my item is held at a Royal Mail warehouse. Is it real?

Royal Mail lists texts like “Your item is at our warehouse, where it will be held until [date]. Visit [website]” among its examples of scams: the link goes to a site that isn’t Royal Mail’s. Track the parcel yourself at royalmail.com with the tracking number from the sender.

How do I pay a real Fee to Pay card?

Type royalmail.com into your browser yourself and use its pay a fee page, with the details from the card, letter or notification. Royal Mail takes a UK credit or debit card, or PayPal.

I paid a fee in a fake Royal Mail text. What now?

Call your bank now on the number on the back of your card (in the UK you can also dial 159), and tell them you entered your card details on a scam site. Expect follow-up calls pretending to be your bank, and hang up on them. Peekray’s guide to what to do after a scam link takes you through the rest.

Does Peekray read my messages?

No. When you paste a message, Peekray picks out the links on your device and sends only those web addresses to its server to check. The rest of the message isn’t sent.

Sources

Where this advice comes from

Guides

More help