SMISHING · FAKE DELIVERY · PARCEL FEES
How to spot a fake parcel or delivery message
Deliveries are routine for households and businesses. A fake text or email may impersonate a carrier and claim that a parcel is held. Its link may lead to a bogus payment page or a site collecting account credentials.
Smishing is phishing by text message. Verify the shipment outside the received message before clicking, paying or sharing information.
1. Spot urgency and small payments
The message claims an incomplete address, a held delivery or customs fees. It urges immediate action to prevent a return, often when you really are expecting an order.
A few euros may seem harmless. A fake payment page may collect card details, request banking approval or trigger a hidden subscription. Do not enter payment details through the received link.
2. Examine the link and sender without trusting their appearance
A logo, polished wording or familiar sender name proves little. Copy the link without opening it and inspect the actual domain: lookalike names, shortened URLs and unexpected redirects warrant caution. Even an apparently official domain does not alone prove the message is genuine.
An unusual mobile number or email can increase suspicion; conversely a short code or displayed sender name does not guarantee identity. SecurCheck checks recognised links and available technical signals, but a final destination may remain unknown if a redirect cannot be resolved.
A missing tracking number is a clue, not automatic proof of fraud. A number in the message could also be invented or copied: check it in the official tracking service or your original order.
Protect office and field teams from delivery-message scams
A text or email claims a business parcel is held because of an address issue or customs fee. Between tasks, a colleague may follow the link and share company card details or credentials.
SecurCheck Business helps teams recognise fake delivery warnings before acting. The module checks submitted wording, recognised links and domain signals, then explains how to verify the shipment through the carrier's independently opened site or app.
The check does not confirm that a parcel exists or verify the sender. Unseen redirects or domains may remain outside the report, and there is no guaranteed response time.
Explore the Business offer3. Verify the shipment and limit harm
Use the official channel
Open the merchant or carrier app yourself. Compare the status and tracking number with your order. For a business parcel, confirm with purchasing or the person who placed the order.
Report the message
Do not reply to a suspicious text. In France, forward it to 33700 or use its reporting site. You can also alert the impersonated carrier and retain evidence, especially if you paid or shared details.
If you entered information
Card details shared: contact your bank promptly through its usual number. Password or code shared: change it from the official site, revoke sessions and alert IT for a work account. If you installed an app, have the phone examined.
Sources: Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr · La Poste · 33700.
Conclusion: pause before tapping
Checking a delivery text helps surface urgency, payment demands and unusual links. Confirm the actual shipment independently. Training teams to pause helps protect accounts and payment methods without promising to catch every attack.
Questions people ask in an emergency
A Chronopost text asks me for two euros in customs fees: should I pay?
Do not pay through the received link. Open the carrier’s official app and check the order or a tracking number obtained elsewhere. A small fee can conceal card theft.
A La Poste link says my address is incomplete: is it real?
The text alone cannot settle this. Check your order or the official site opened separately, without using the received link. The sender name shown in a text can be imitated.
I entered my card on a fake delivery page: what now?
Contact your bank promptly through its app or a number you already know to secure the card and review transactions. Keep the text and page address as evidence.