How to identify and avoid phishing scams

With more people relying on deliveries due to the pandemic, there has been an increase in attempts by unauthorised parties to defraud online shoppers via emails and SMS messages that claim to be from DHL – otherwise known as ‘phishing’ scams.

In most cases, these fraudulent communications include graphics, attachments and/or links that appear, on the surface, to come from DHL and request that you settle a charge or provide us with your personal details to proceed with a delivery.

At DHL, we value your security and peace of mind. If you are expecting a delivery from us, the following tips could help you to identify fraudulent emails or SMS messages and avoid being phished:

  • Sender details: Our official mail domain is "@dhl.com". We never use free email services like @gmail or @yahoo. For SMS messages, we do not use shortened URLs (e.g., https://bit.ly) or generic sender names (e.g., “Delivery”). In existing conversation threads with us, SMS messages that appear to be legitimate may actually have been sent by scammers using the Alpha Tag method to masquerade themselves as DHL. These SMS messages are typically unexpected/unsolicited and written in an urgent/threatening tone. Some even include suspicious-looking links and grammatical/spelling errors.

  • Tracking number: We always include your shipment tracking number in the body of the email or SMS message itself. You do not need to open or download any attachment to view your shipment tracking number. We also never link to websites other than our own.

  • Extra charges: In any situation, we do not charge the contracting party for shipments by sending a direct payment link. For the payment of costs incurred by the consignee, such as duties, taxes, customs charges, etc., we send the consignee a link to a DHL payment platform in order to pay these costs prior to delivery, identified with the respective delivery note(s).

  • Personal details: We never request for your bank and credit card details via email or SMS.

If you are in doubt of any communications that claim to be from DHL, you may verify it on our official website (http://www.dhl.com) or contact our Customer Service Hotline at (852) 2400 3388 for support. If you spot a suspicious email or SMS message, please report or forward it to phishing-dpdhl@dhl.com.