E-commerce and courier networks have made doorstep delivery routine. That familiarity has opened a new route for scamsters: parcel fraud. Since customers often expect a delivery, gift or surprise, their guard is naturally lower. Recent cases in Gangtok, Meerut, Mumbai and Delhi, involving corporate employees, homemakers and senior citizens, show the spread. The bait varies: failed delivery, foreign gift, customs clearance or police-style threat. The trick is similar: impersonate a courier company, India Post, customs, police or a government agency and push the victim to click, pay, share details or panic.

Here are common forms of parcel fraud and how to spot them.

Address update/reschedule

An SMS or WhatsApp message says your parcel cannot be delivered because the address is incomplete, or that delivery has failed and must be rescheduled. The message may appear to be from a courier company or the postal department and carries a link to “update address” or “reschedule delivery”. A caller may add pressure, saying the parcel will be cancelled unless you act immediately.

The link opens a fake website. You may be asked to enter your name, address and phone number, then pay a small charge of ₹25 or ₹50. The fee is a “distraction” to harvest details for a much larger subsequent transaction. The page may ask for card number, expiry date, CVV, OTP or bank details. A fake page often has a strange logo, misspelt web address, poor design or broken language.

Red flag: Urgency plus any parcel link asking for card details, CVV, OTP or payment.

Illegal parcel

This is the fear-based version. You get a call saying a parcel in your name contains drugs, fake passports, ATM cards or illegal documents. The caller may pretend to be from a courier company, customs, police, CBI or NCB. You may be told your Aadhaar or PAN has been misused. The call is then “transferred” to a fake police officer. You may be asked to stay on video call, remain alone and not inform family. Then comes the money demand: transfer funds for “verification”, “clearance”, “safe custody” or “RBI checking”.

Red flag: Courier talk suddenly becoming police/legal threats, secrecy, video call pressure, fake ID/case papers on WhatsApp, or money demands for “verification”.

Cash-on-delivery

A parcel arrives at home on cash-on-delivery. The amount is small, so someone pays. But no one ordered it. Inside may be junk or a cheap item. Fraudsters may use leaked names, addresses and phone numbers. In some versions, fake courier or e-commerce staff later push the victim into advance payments or QR-code payments.

Red flag: COD parcel with no clear order ID, seller name, platform name, known buyer or proper sender details.

QR code refund

The fraudster says your parcel payment will be refunded and sends a QR code. You are asked to scan it and enter UPI PIN. That is dangerous. Entering UPI PIN after scanning a QR code usually sends money out. It does not bring money in.

The giveaway is the QR code itself. A refund should come to you; it should not make you scan, enter UPI PIN and “approve” anything.

Red flag: QR code sent to receive a refund.

Customer care

You search online for a courier customer-care number. A fake number appears. The person who answers pretends to help. They may ask you to install a screen-sharing app, share OTP, enter card details or make a “test payment”.

The warning signs are in the tone and instructions. Fake customer care sounds hurried, over-helpful or threatening, and quickly moves from “tracking your parcel” to “install this app”, “share OTP”, “open your banking app”, “scan this code” or “make a test payment”.

Red flag: Customer care asking for remote access, OTP, UPI PIN or card details.

Call-forwarding

A caller posing as a courier agent asks you to dial a code on your phone. This may activate call forwarding. Your calls, including verification calls, may then go to the fraudster. Some warnings have flagged call-forwarding codes, including those beginning with 21. To cancel call forwarding, mobile users are often advised to dial ##002#.

A real courier agent may ask for your address or landmark; they will never ask you to dial codes such as 21, *21 or any other network command. If the caller says the code is needed to “confirm”, “cancel” or “unlock” delivery, disconnect.

Red flag: Unknown caller asking you to dial a phone code.

If you have already clicked or paid

You have to act quickly.

Block your card or account through your bank if you shared banking details or noticed a suspicious transaction.

Call the cybercrime helpline 1930 and file a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, cybercrime.gov.in.

Save evidence: screenshots, phone numbers, UPI IDs, links, bank account details and transaction messages.

Suspicious SMS, e-mail or calls can also be reported on Sanchar Saathi at sancharsaathi.gov.in.

Early reporting improves the chance of blocking the money trail.

Published on May 16, 2026