Why this scam is everywhere right now
Since 1 July 2026, all purchases under €150 entering Ireland from outside the EU carry a customs charge — €3 plus VAT per item. For the first time, millions of people are genuinely expecting to pay small customs fees on ordinary online orders from the UK, US and China. Scammers know it, and both Bank of Ireland and the CCPC have warned of a surge in fraud attempts exploiting the new rules.
The scam is simple: a text pretending to be An Post (or DPD, Fastway, UPS) says your parcel is held pending a customs payment, with a link to pay. The link leads to a cloned payment page that steals your card details — and often sets up a follow-up call from a fake "bank fraud team" once your details are captured.
What the scam text looks like
The one rule that settles it
An Post never sends payment links by text. That's it. Genuine customs charges from An Post arrive through official channels — you can view and pay them on the official An Post website or app by entering your tracking number yourself, or via a docket. Any text with a clickable payment link claiming to be An Post is a scam, no matter how real the sender name looks.
Red flags to check
- A payment link in the text. Automatic fail — see above.
- The domain isn't anpost.com. Scammers use lookalikes: anpost-customs.net, anpost-delivery.info, an-post-ie.com.
- Urgency and deadlines. "Within 48 hours or your parcel is returned" is pressure engineering, not logistics.
- You're not expecting a parcel — or the fee doesn't match the €3 + VAT structure of the real charge.
If you're genuinely expecting a customs charge
Go directly to anpost.com or the An Post app — type the address yourself, never tap the link — and enter your tracking number. If a charge is really due, it will show there. If nothing shows, the text was a scam. If you've already entered card details on one of these pages, contact your bank immediately and ask them to block the card.
Got one of these messages?
Don't guess. Paste it into the free Scam-Less checker and get a verdict with a plain-English explanation in seconds.
Check it now — freeCommon questions
Does An Post really charge customs fees now?
Yes — since 1 July 2026, purchases under €150 entering Ireland from outside the EU carry a customs charge of €3 plus VAT per item. But An Post collects genuine charges through its official website, app or delivery docket — never through a payment link in a text message.
I paid through one of these links. What do I do?
Contact your bank or card provider immediately and ask them to block the card and dispute the payment. Report the scam to An Post and the Gardaí. Watch for follow-up calls pretending to be your bank's fraud team — that's often stage two of the same scam.
How can I check if a customs text is real?
Don't tap the link. Open anpost.com or the An Post app yourself and enter your tracking number — a genuine charge will appear there. Or paste the text into the free Scam-Less checker for an instant verdict.