Quick answer: use this route first
A domestic parcel you have already paid for does not attract a release fee. There is no such charge in normal South African delivery, so an SMS asking for a small payment to release, clear or redeliver a local parcel is fraudulent. The complication is that international parcels genuinely can attract customs duties, and that real exception is exactly what makes the scam work. This page separates the two. Verified 18 August 2026.
Why the amount is always small
These messages ask for an amount low enough that querying it feels like more effort than paying it. That is the entire economic model, and it works in two ways at once.
- Some people simply pay, and a small amount multiplied across thousands of messages is the return.
- Others enter card details on the payment page, which is worth far more than the fee. The charge is the pretext; the card is the target.
- The page often asks for a one-time password to complete the small payment, which authorises something considerably larger.
Treating the fee as the loss underestimates it. Assume the card details entered on that page are compromised, regardless of how small the charge appeared.
When a delivery charge can be genuine
- International parcels and customs. Goods arriving from abroad may attract import duties and VAT, and a courier handling clearance may bill you for those plus a clearance fee. This is legitimate, and it applies only when you knowingly ordered from outside South Africa.
- Charges you agreed at checkout, such as a delivery surcharge for an outlying area, which will appear on your order confirmation.
- A service you booked yourself, where you are the courier’s customer and the invoice comes from them.
Even where a customs charge is real, the way you pay it should not be a link in an unsolicited message. Verify it through the courier’s own tracking page, reached by typing their address, or through the retailer’s order page, and pay through the documented channel shown there.
Deciding in under a minute
- Are you expecting a parcel at all? If not, stop here. No further analysis is needed.
- Did you order from outside South Africa? If not, no customs charge can arise, so a clearance fee is fraudulent by definition.
- Does the courier named match your order confirmation? If not, the message is not about your parcel.
- Does the charge appear on the retailer’s order page or the courier’s own tracking? If it appears only in the message, it does not exist.
- Never tap the link to check. Type the courier’s address yourself and enter the waybill number from your confirmation.
Official routes to verify against
| Route | Detail | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Your retailer | The order page and confirmation email | Confirming the courier and any agreed charge |
| PAXI | 086 000 7294, WhatsApp +27 21 010 1574 | Tracking and parcel queries |
| PostNet | 0860 767 8638 | Tracking and parcel queries |
| RAM | 0861 726 726, WhatsApp 082 372 6726 | Tracking and parcel queries |
| Your bank | The number on the back of your card | Stopping or disputing a payment, first priority |
| SAPS | 10111, or any station | The criminal case and case number |
For a courier not listed here, take the number from the domain named on your waybill, typed in yourself rather than found through a search.
Urgent steps if you have paid
- Phone your bank on the number on your card and treat the card as compromised, not just the single charge.
- Say whether you entered a one-time password, since that changes what the bank does next.
- Ask for the card to be blocked and reissued rather than only reversing the amount.
- Open a SAPS case and keep the case number for the written dispute.
- Keep the message and the page, screenshotted, and do not reply to the sender.
What not to share
- Card numbers, PINs or CVV codes on a page you reached from a delivery message.
- One-time passwords, which no delivery or customs payment requires you to read to anyone.
- Your ID number, which a domestic parcel does not need.
- Remote access to your device to complete a payment.
If the issue is not resolved
Lodge the dispute with your bank in writing, quoting your SAPS case number and attaching the message and the payment page. If the bank’s own process is exhausted without resolution, the National Financial Ombud handles unresolved banking disputes subject to jurisdiction. Where a genuine parcel is also delayed, pursue that separately with the retailer, since the two matters run on different tracks and conflating them slows both.
Related contact pages
- Fake Courier SMS South Africa: the wider delivery-message pattern.
- Should You Pay a Courier Fee by Link: when a payment request can ever be legitimate.
- Courier Contact Details South Africa: verified courier routes and who to approach.
- Fake Courier WhatsApp Number: checking a courier messaging contact.
- Report A Scam South Africa: the reporting sequence in full.
Frequently asked questions
Is a delivery release fee ever real?
Not for a domestic parcel you have already paid for. Genuine charges arise mainly on international parcels, where customs duties and a clearance fee can apply, and on surcharges you agreed at checkout. Both will be visible on the retailer’s order page or the courier’s own tracking.
I only lost a small amount. Is that the end of it?
Probably not. The card details you entered are worth more than the fee, so treat the card as compromised and ask your bank to block and reissue it rather than only reversing the charge.
What information should I prepare?
The message with its sending number and link, screenshots of the payment page, your order number and waybill, proof of payment with amount and time, and whether a one-time password was entered.
What should I do if I cannot get help?
Escalate the bank dispute in writing with your SAPS case number and the screenshots, then approach the National Financial Ombud once the bank’s process is exhausted and you have confirmed jurisdiction.
Last verified 18 August 2026 against paxi.co.za, postnet.co.za, ram.co.za and saps.gov.za.