"Undelivered package" smishing
SMS claiming a delivery failed and asking for a "redelivery fee" of a few euro. The link goes to a fake checkout that captures card details. FraudSMART has issued public warnings about this exact pattern; the volume is unusually high through 2025–2026 with peaks around gift seasons.
What the scam looks like
A text message arrives saying that:
- A package addressed to you couldn't be delivered.
- A small fee is needed for redelivery (typically €1-€3 — small enough to feel inconsequential).
- You should click a link to pay and arrange redelivery.
The sender's name often mimics a real courier (An Post, DPD, DHL, Evri, GLS) but the underlying number is usually international or a random short code. The link goes to a checkout page that looks legitimate and asks for full card details "for the redelivery charge".
The actual harm
The €2 charge is real and is taken. But the card details you entered are then either used immediately for unauthorised transactions on much larger amounts, or sold on. The card freeze that follows can take days to fully resolve.
How to recognise it
- Couriers in Ireland don't ask for redelivery fees by SMS. An Post charges customs duty when applicable through a separate, well-known process; private couriers contact you via their own app or website.
- The sender number is usually international or short-code, not a real customer-service number.
- The domain in the link is almost never the courier's real domain (
anpost.ie,dpd.ie, etc.). - Pressure cues ("acting now or the package will be returned") are universal in this pattern.
What to do if you received it but haven't responded
- Don't click the link. Don't pay.
- If you're expecting a real package, check the original sender's website or app directly (type the URL by hand).
- Forward the SMS to 7726.
- Delete the message.
What to do if you paid
Contact your bank immediately
Use the fraud number on the back of your card. Freeze or cancel the card; request chargeback on the unauthorised charges.
Watch for follow-on charges
The scammers may attempt larger unauthorised transactions in the hours after you paid. Bank fraud teams know this pattern.
Report to An Garda Síochána
Get a PULSE number. The bank's fraud team and any insurer will ask for it.
Report to FraudSMART
Adds to the national pattern register. fraudsmart.ie.
Change the password on any account where you used the same email/card-saving combination
If the scam page captured your email-and-password combination as part of "checkout", treat every account using that combination as compromised.
Primary sources
- FraudSMART — current alerts on smishing patterns.
- FraudSMART — smishing guidance.
- An Garda Síochána — phishing attacks.