By The KTech team · Published 15 November 2026
Households and businesses across Kingsbridge, the South Hams and the wider South West still hear from people who are not Royal Mail at all. The call, or the automated voice message, usually claims there is a missed parcel, a package being held, or an unpaid customs or redelivery fee. It may tell you to press 1, call a number back, or hand over card details and personal information. The themes match the missed-parcel and fee-request scams that Royal Mail warns about in texts and emails. The same pressure is now often applied by phone.
This guide explains how those calls work, the warning signs to look for, and what genuine Royal Mail contact looks like. It also sets out what to do if a call or voicemail arrives, and the steps to take if you have already paid or shared details. If you want local advice on protecting a home or business, our cyber security services and IT support in Kingsbridge can help, or you can use the contact page.
How do Royal Mail scam phone calls work?
Scammers impersonate organisations people already trust. Delivery scams often borrow the name of Royal Mail, and sometimes the language of customs or a missed delivery, because many of us are expecting a parcel, especially in the run-up to Christmas. A live caller may sound calm and official. An automated message may say your item could not be delivered and ask you to press 1, confirm an address, or pay a fee to release it.
The aim is usually to take a payment, harvest card details, or collect enough personal information to commit fraud later. Some messages also try to send you to a website that is not part of Royal Mail, which is a pattern Royal Mail shows in its examples of scam texts and emails. A phone call can be the first step towards the same destination: an unofficial page, a card payment, or a rushed conversation in which you share data. Even if you are waiting for a genuine parcel, treat the call as unverified until you have checked it yourself through official channels.
What warning signs should I look for?
Pressure and urgency are a consistent warning. Royal Mail's own checklist asks whether you feel pressured or rushed, and notes that Royal Mail does not work that way. A demand to pay immediately, a threat that your parcel will be returned or destroyed today, or a request to stay on the line while you find a card should make you hang up.
Other signs include a request for bank details, passwords, a one-time passcode or a full card number; a telephone number or web address that you did not look up yourself; a call about a parcel you are not expecting; and an automated menu that asks you to press 1 to pay or to confirm personal details. Poor wording can be a clue, but polished wording is not proof of anything. What matters is what the caller is asking you to do.
Caller ID is not proof of identity. Numbers can be spoofed, so a display that reads Royal Mail, or shows a familiar-looking number, does not make the call genuine. If you are in any doubt, hang up and check through official information, not through details the caller gave you.
- You are asked to pay a fee, confirm a card or share a passcode during the call.
- You are told to press 1, call a number back, or visit a link the caller reads out.
- The caller creates urgency about a missed, held or customs-held parcel.
- The number or website is not one you opened yourself from royalmail.com.
What does Royal Mail genuinely do, and what does it not do?
Royal Mail's scam advice is clear about genuine contact. It will only contact you by email or text if tracking updates were requested by the sender when the item was posted. It will not ask for your bank details, passwords or personal data. It will not ask you to enter information on a website that is not part of Royal Mail, and it will not send email attachments unless you specifically asked for them.
For an underpaid item, Royal Mail says it does not ask for payment by email or text. Instead, it always leaves a grey Fee to Pay card. It may also send an SMS or email about a customs fee where the sender has provided your contact details, as well as that card. If you have a genuine fee to pay, use Royal Mail's official fee payment page, or the instructions on the card, after you have opened those pages yourself by typing royalmail.com into your browser.
Do not use a number, payment link or web address given on an unexpected call or in a voicemail. If you need to check a delivery, go directly to Royal Mail's own website and use the contact details published there. Do not call back a number left on a message, and do not press 1 to be connected from a voicemail you were not expecting.
What should I do if a call or voicemail arrives?
Hang up. Do not press 1, do not give card or personal details, and do not follow any link the caller reads out. If you are unsure whether a genuine item is waiting, wait a moment, then use a different phone if you can, or at least make sure the original call has ended. Check only through official Royal Mail pages, or with a tracking reference you already have from the sender.
Royal Mail asks people to report suspicious emails by forwarding them to reportascam@royalmail.com, and to screenshot suspicious texts and send those too, as well as forwarding the text to 7726, which is free. The National Cyber Security Centre gives the same 7726 advice for suspicious texts. If you have had a suspicious call and have not lost money, text the word Call, followed by the caller's number, to 7726, and keep a note of the time, the number and what was said. If a card through the letterbox looks doubtful, Royal Mail points you to its online scam mail form and, if you need further help, to Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133. Do not use a number on a card until you are sure the card is genuine and the number is published by Royal Mail.
What if I have already paid or shared my details?
Act quickly, and do not be embarrassed. Contact your bank or card issuer at once, using a number from the back of your card or from the bank's official website, not a number from the call. Ask them to stop or recall the payment, cancel the card if you shared its details, and watch for further transactions. If you used a password or a one-time passcode, change the password on that account and on any other account that used the same sign-in details, and turn on two-step verification where you can.
Then report it. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, report cyber crime and fraud to Report Fraud, the national service that has replaced Action Fraud, online or by calling 0300 123 2040. If you are in Scotland, report it to Police Scotland on 101. Keep messages, voicemails, screenshots and payment records. You can also tell Royal Mail by emailing reportascam@royalmail.com, which helps them warn other customers.
If the payment went through on a credit or debit card, ask your bank about a chargeback or, for some credit card purchases, a claim under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. Citizens Advice explains how those routes work. Call the bank first, then complete the crime report.
How can I protect myself, and my business, from scams like this?
Agree a simple household or office rule: nobody pays a delivery fee, confirms a card, or shares a passcode because a caller asked them to. Look up official numbers yourself, and treat press 1 messages as a prompt to hang up and check. Keep phone, email and banking accounts on unique passwords with two-step verification, as the NCSC recommends for important online accounts.
For businesses, staff who take deliveries or pay invoices are often the people who answer these calls. A short, written process helps: who may approve a payment, how to check a supplier or a courier, and how to report a suspicious call. That is the approach we take in our work: Proportionate cyber security protection for businesses, organisations and households across South West England, including Kingsbridge, the South Hams, Devon and Cornwall. We identify your real security risks, implement practical safeguards and establish clear, straightforward policies that people can understand and follow.
If you would like help setting that up, call 01548 859773 or use the contact page. Our IT support in Kingsbridge and cyber security pages explain how we work with local homes and organisations.