Phishing email mimics DHL with fake parcel overweight payment demand.
Germany’s Federation of Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale) has issued a warning about a new phishing scam involving fake DHL emails. The messages claim a parcel delivery has been halted due to excess weight and demand an additional payment to resume shipping.
The scam email typically uses the subject line “Aktueller Status Ihrer Sendung <fake tracking number>” and includes a linked tracking number that appears suspicious. The same number has appeared repeatedly in different messages.
Key red flags include impersonal greetings such as “Hallo”, dubious sender addresses, and embedded payment links. Verbraucherzentrale stresses that consumers should never click on these links and instead verify the tracking code via DHL’s official website or app.
Recipients are advised to move the email directly to the spam folder without responding. DHL does not request payments by email.
