Australia Post scam SMS and calls: how to spot them

Published 30 April 2026 · 6 min read

Fake Australia Post messages are now one of the most common scam vectors in Australia, hitting Australians by SMS, MMS, email and follow-up phone call. The script is consistent: a parcel can't be delivered, you owe a small fee, and you need to confirm your details on a link the scammer controls. Here's how to recognise it on first read.

How the scam usually starts

It almost always begins with an SMS that looks like a delivery notification:

• "AusPost: Your parcel could not be delivered due to incorrect address. Please update at auspost-delivery.com/track"
• "Your shipment is on hold pending a $1.99 customs fee. Pay now to release: auspostpay.net"
• "Australia Post: We attempted delivery today. Reschedule via [link]"

Some scams pair the SMS with a follow-up phone call from a "courier dispatch officer" trying to walk you through the link if you haven't clicked yet. Others go straight to a fake site that asks for your address, then your card details for a "redelivery fee", which is the scam's actual goal.

The URL is always the giveaway

Genuine Australia Post messages link only to auspost.com.au and the legitimate tracking subdomain auspost.com.au/mypost/track. Anything else is a scam, no exceptions. Real domains the scammers don't own include:

• auspost-delivery.com / .net / .info
• auspostpay.* / auspost-fee.* / parcels-auspost.*
• aupost-track.* / track-aupost.* (deliberate typo of "auspost")
• Anything ending in .top, .xyz, .live, .cyou. These are common cheap TLDs scammers use because they're hard to take down quickly

If you're unsure, copy the URL (don't tap it) and search for it. Scam domains usually have multiple recent reports.

What real Australia Post will never do

• SMS you a link asking for payment of a "redelivery fee" or "customs fee" before drop-off. Real undeliverable parcels go to your local post office or carded for collection with photo ID.
• Ask for your full credit card number, CVV, expiry and ID upload through an SMS link.
• Threaten that your parcel will be destroyed in 24 hours if you don't act.
• Call you from a mobile (04) number to demand a payment. Real Australia Post calls about a delivery use 13 POST (13 76 78) or local depot landlines.
• Send a follow-up SMS asking for your myPost password or any one-time codes.

What Australia Post actually does

Real notifications from Australia Post:

• Reference your tracking number (a 13-character code starting with letters), and the link points to auspost.com.au/mypost/track/... followed by that code.
• Don't ask for payment. Fees for international parcels are paid via auspost.com.au after a separate ID check at a post office, never by SMS link.
• Don't request personal data via SMS. Anything sensitive happens inside your authenticated myPost account.

If a message looks borderline, open the Australia Post app or go directly to auspost.com.au and search the tracking number there. Genuine activity will show up; scams won't.

What to do if you tapped the link

1. Don't enter anything. Just tapping the link rarely does damage on its own; you're safe as long as you didn't type into the form or download anything.
2. If you entered card details: call your bank's after-hours fraud line immediately and have the card blocked. Most banks can do this in under two minutes.
3. If you entered your address and ID: watch for follow-up scams (criminals often combine your card number with stolen ID for application fraud). Consider freezing your credit file with Equifax and illion.
4. If you downloaded anything: on Android in particular, scammers sometimes deliver a fake "AusPost app" APK that's actually banking malware. Uninstall it, scan with a reputable mobile security app, and consider a factory reset if the device handled banking.

How to report it

• Forward the SMS to 7726 (spells "SPAM"). All major Australian carriers route 7726 reports into ACMA's scam-SMS database, which feeds telco-level blocking.
• Australia Post: forward suspicious messages to scams@auspost.com.au and follow the steps at auspost.com.au/scams.
• Scamwatch (ACCC): scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam.
• Phony: if the SMS came from a number, look it up and add a report so the next person sees the warning.

Australia Post is the most-impersonated brand in Australian scam SMS, and that's not changing soon. The good news: every single variant follows the same template, so once you know the pattern, the scam basically signs itself. If a "delivery" SMS hits any of the red flags above, delete it. The real notification is always boring.