Fake Courier SMS Scam in India — How to Spot It and What to Do

"Your parcel could not be delivered due to an incomplete address. Update within 12 hours." If a message like this reached your phone, you are not alone. Fake courier SMS is a widespread phishing scam in India, and it works because almost everyone is waiting for some parcel.

You can check any message in a few seconds with our free courier SMS scam checker. It runs in your browser and never opens the link. This guide explains what to look for and what to do next.

How the fake courier SMS scam works

1. You get an SMS or WhatsApp message that names India Post, DTDC, Delhivery, Blue Dart, or a "customs office".
2. It says delivery failed, usually because your address is "incomplete", or that a small fee is pending.
3. A link opens a page that copies the courier's logo and colours.
4. The page asks for your address, then a small payment, then your card details or an OTP. Some versions ask you to install an app (an .apk file) that can read your SMS and OTPs.

The small fee is the hook. Nobody worries about a few rupees, but the card details and OTP you enter let the scammer take far more. PIB Fact Check has publicly flagged the India Post version of this message as fake, and Goa Police arrested a man in 2026 for running a fake DTDC parcel SMS racket that targeted people across several states.

Warning signs to check

Read the domain from the right. Look at the end of the address, just before the first /. In indiapost.gov.in.verify-now.top/update, the site is really verify-now.top. Everything in front of it is just decoration.

How to check a parcel safely

You never need a link from a message to track a parcel.

1. Open the shopping app or order email yourself and copy the tracking number.
2. Paste it on the WhereIsMyOrder tracker or the courier's own website, typed in yourself.
3. If you have a number but no idea which courier it belongs to, compare it with the tracking number format database.
4. If the real tracking shows no failed delivery and no pending fee, ignore the message.

For India Post, see our India Post tracking page. The official site is indiapost.gov.in. For a full list of what each courier's numbers look like, read how to track AWB numbers.

Real courier messages vs fake ones

Genuine couriers do send SMS updates, and some include links. The difference is the domain. A real Delhivery link ends in delhivery.com, and a real India Post link ends in indiapost.gov.in. International couriers like DHL and FedEx can genuinely ask you to pay customs duty, but you can always do that by opening their official site yourself instead of the link. If in doubt, read our guide to international parcels to India.

What should I do if I clicked the link or paid?

Act fast. If you entered card, UPI, or bank details, or lost any money, call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 and file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in. Then call your bank to block the card or UPI. The sooner you report, the better the chance the bank can hold the money. If you installed an app from the link, uninstall it and change your banking passwords from a different device.

Where do I report a fake courier SMS if I did not lose money?

Report it on the government's Sanchar Saathi portal (sancharsaathi.gov.in) using Chakshu, the option to report suspected fraud calls and messages. Reporting helps get the sender's number blocked. Then delete the message.

Does India Post ask you to update your address by SMS link?

Messages claiming an India Post parcel is stuck because of an incomplete address, with a link to update it, are a known scam flagged by PIB Fact Check. Check the article number yourself on the official India Post site instead.

Can a message with no warning signs still be fake?

Yes. Scammers change their wording often, so no checker can prove a message is genuine. The habit that always works is to ignore links in messages and track the number yourself.

Quick summary

• Check the domain, not the words in it.
• Never pay a "redelivery" or "address" fee through an SMS link.
• Never type an OTP, CVV, or UPI PIN into a link. A delivery OTP is only for the agent at your door.
• Track the number yourself on WhereIsMyOrder or the courier's own site.
• Paste suspicious messages into the courier SMS scam checker.

Related: delivered but not received · failed delivery attempt · AWB vs order ID