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FedEx courier scam call: “a parcel with drugs in your name”

Hang up. A call saying a FedEx or other courier parcel in your name was caught with drugs, passports or other contraband is the opening of the scam the government calls “digital arrest”: you are put through to fake police or customs officers who threaten arrest and tell you to transfer money for “verification”. FedEx says it does not ask for personal information through unsolicited calls, and no officer asks you to move money. Track any real parcel on the courier's own website and report the call on 1930.
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Photo: tianya1223 on Pixabay

If a courier call says your parcel had drugs

Tap each one as you check it.

How the courier scam call works

The Ministry of Home Affairs says these callers tell you that you sent, or are about to receive, a parcel containing illegal goods, drugs, fake passports or other contraband. The courier story is only the first step. The call is passed to someone posing as police, customs, the Narcotics Department or the CBI.

Example. Names and numbers are made up.

Where the call leads

In one case reported in December 2023, a caller claiming to be courier staff told a 60-year-old Bengaluru professor that a parcel she sent had been intercepted with drugs and passports. A man in police uniform on a video call showed papers with police and RBI letterheads, threatened her with drug and money-laundering charges, and had her transfer ₹83 lakh “for verification”.

The same report said Bengaluru police had recorded 163 courier fraud cases that year to August, with losses above ₹5 crore. The rest of the script is explained in What is a digital arrest scam.

FedEx told reporters it does not request personal information through unsolicited calls, mail or email for goods being shipped or held, unless the customer started the contact.

Why the number on your screen proves nothing

The government has said that in recent FedEx scams, fake digital arrests and calls impersonating officials, scammers called from abroad using international calls spoofed to show Indian mobile numbers. Telecom operators have been told to block these calls, but a +91 number is still not proof of anything.

Signs of a fake courier call

Signs it is a scam

  • Says a parcel you never sent was caught with drugs or passports
  • Offers to connect you to police, customs or the CBI
  • Moves you to a WhatsApp or Skype video call
  • Asks you to transfer money to “verify” your account
  • Tells you not to hang up or tell anyone

What is safe to do

  • Track parcels only on the courier's own website or app
  • Hang up and call the courier on a number you look up
  • Visit your local police station if you are worried
  • Keep your bank details and OTPs to yourself
  • Talk it through with family before doing anything

The “parcel could not be delivered” text

A quieter version arrives by SMS. In January 2026 PIB Fact Check called a message in India Post's name asking people to update their address through a link fake, and said India Post never sends such messages.

The Department of Telecommunications also warns that a genuine delivery company never asks you to dial a code like *21* followed by a number, which forwards your calls to someone else. Dial *#21# to check whether your calls are being forwarded, and ##002# to switch forwarding off.

If it already happened

  1. If you have sent money, call your bank now on the number on your card or in its app and ask it to stop or hold the transfers.
  2. If you dialled a code they gave you, dial *#21# to check for call forwarding and ##002# to turn it off.
  3. Save the phone numbers, account details, UPI IDs and any documents they sent, with screenshots.
  4. Report the calling numbers and messages on Chakshu at sancharsaathi.gov.in, and block them on WhatsApp.
  • Call 1930The national cyber fraud helpline. Call within hours if money left your account.
  • cybercrime.gov.inFile a complaint online and keep the acknowledgement number.
  • Chakshu on Sanchar SaathiReport a fraud call, SMS or WhatsApp number.

Questions

Is the FedEx call about drugs in my parcel real?
No. It is the opening of the digital arrest scam. FedEx says it does not ask for personal information through unsolicited calls, and the “officers” you are passed to are part of the same gang.
Will the police or customs call me about a seized parcel?
They will not arrest you on a call or ask you to move money to settle a case. If you are worried, hang up and visit or call your local police station on a number you looked up yourself.
Why did the call show an Indian number?
The government says scammers in courier and digital arrest cases have used international calls spoofed to look like Indian mobile numbers.
I got a text asking me to update my address for a parcel. Is it real?
PIB Fact Check has said messages in India Post's name asking you to update your address are fake. Check any delivery on the official website and do not tap the link.

Realr cannot vouch for a caller, but before you pay or meet someone you only know online, you can ask them to prove who they are with a Realr check.

Ask for a Realr check

Sources

Checked against the sources above on 17 October 2026. By Manav Sharma, Marketing Team, Realr. This is general guidance, not legal advice.

Ask them to prove who they are, before you pay or meet.

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