Fake package delivery / customs fee phishing — non-carrier sender impersonates USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, or Amazon claiming a package is on hold or pending customs clearance and requires immediate payment of a small customs, handling, or rescheduling fee ($1–$5) to release delivery; the payment portal harvests full credit card details for large unauthorized charges

Phishing emails impersonating USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, or Amazon claiming a package couldn't be delivered, is on hold, or is pending customs clearance — and requires immediate payment of a small fee ($1–$5) to release the shipment. The payment portal harvests full credit card details for large unauthorized charges. The small fee amount is deliberate: it reduces skepticism and lowers the psychological barrier to entering payment details. Key facts: (1) US Postal Inspection Service 2024: 1.3M+ package delivery scam reports, a 70% year-over-year increase — making this one of the highest-volume phishing vectors globally; (2) Real carriers (USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL) never request customs fees or delivery charges via email — any fee collection happens through official government customs portals (CBP.gov) or directly at delivery; (3) These attacks are especially effective because nearly everyone has a package in transit at any given time, making the lure immediately plausible; (4) Victims' card details are typically sold on dark-web markets within hours of capture, enabling multiple rounds of fraud. Warning signs: email from a non-carrier domain, request to pay a small fee to "release" or "reschedule" a package, link to an external payment portal not on ups.com, fedex.com, usps.com, or dhl.com.