Is the “Unpaid Customs Duty on Your Parcel” Text Message a Scam?
Customs and the post office will not ask you by text message, Email, or LINE to “click a link to pay customs duty,” nor will they ask you to use an ATM.Genuine import taxes and fees are supported by an official tax bill, and the amount can be verified. “Pay before you can receive the parcel,” “urgent payment deadline,” and “unofficial link” are all signs of a scam. If in doubt, call 165 first. Do not click the link or provide personal information, card details, or a text-message verification code. If you were actually defrauded through online shopping and the taxes have already been paid, you may apply for a refund of overpaid taxes under Article 17, Paragraph 5 of the Customs Act (關稅法) within 6 months from the day after release by submitting the police-issued case acceptance certificate.
Last updated: 2026-08-21 ｜ HowBridge Editorial Team ｜ Sources: interpretations and press releases from the Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (財政部關務署), official EZ WAY operating instructions, and the Customs Act (關稅法)
What are the most common customs parcel scams?
Three tactics account for the vast majority of cases. They all have one thing in common: you are asked to pay before you “receive the goods”, and the payment method always bypasses official channels.
1Impersonating Chunghwa Post or a courier over “unpaid customs duty”
A text message or Email impersonates a logistics provider and links to a phishing website designed to steal your card details, personal information, and text-message verification code (OTP). The URL often uses spelling similar to the official site, such as adding one letter or using an obscure domain like .cc/.top.
2Ghost parcel scams (family heirlooms or valuable gifts)
These scams are common in online dating situations. The scammer claims to have sent a parcel and asks you to pay “customs duty,” “clearance fees,” or a “deposit” first. Once transferred, the money cannot be recovered, and the parcel never existed.
3Fake low-price “customs auction goods”
The scammer fraudulently uses the name of a customs auction to obtain a bank transfer. Customs auctions use formal public channels and announcement procedures and will not collect payments through private messages, social media advertisements, or personal accounts.
4Fraudulent customs declarations in your name (goods you did not buy are registered to you)
This is not merely an attempt to steal money—dishonest operators use another person’s identity information to make customs declarations, importing prohibited goods or scam parcels in that person’s name. Customs may consequently notify you for an investigation. This is also the main reason the new “advance mandate confirmation” system was introduced in March 2026 (see below).
⚠️ The tactics change, but the script does not. Whatever story is used, treat it as a scam whenever all three elements appear together: “pay before you can receive the goods” ＋ “urgent deadline” ＋ “unofficial payment channel.”
Why can you be sure it is a scam?
Because in the genuine import tax and fee process, every step leaves an official record that can be verified, while scam scripts deliberately bypass every one of those records.
- Customs duties are supported by an official tax bill：An official tax bill is issued for genuine import taxes and fees. It states the declaration number and amount and can be verified with customs or your logistics provider. Taxes and fees will not be “notified solely through one text message.”
- Officials will not ask you to click a link or use an ATM：Chunghwa Post (中華郵政), courier companies, and customs will not send a payment request with a link by text message, Email, or LINE. Any claim that you must use an ATM to “remove a setting” or “reauthenticate” is a scam.
- If tax is genuinely due, you will already know about the shipment：Under normal circumstances, you know what you bought and where it is being delivered. Being asked to pay for a parcel you do not recognize is itself the biggest warning sign.
- The official process will not pressure you：Imported goods are subject to statutory customs-clearance and tax-payment deadlines. There will not be a countdown claiming that the goods “will be returned or destroyed unless payment is made within 30 minutes.” Urgency is essential to a scam because it stops you from checking.
How can you spot one in three steps?
You do not need to understand customs procedures. Do these three things and nearly every customs-related scam will reveal itself.
- Check the tax billIs there an official tax bill? Do the declaration number, description of goods, and amount match what you bought? Verify them with customs or your logistics provider/consolidation service. Do not use the telephone number supplied in the text message.
- Do not click links or provide personal informationNever provide your card number, text-message verification code (OTP), national ID number, or online-banking credentials. OTP is your final line of defence. Anyone asking for it is a scammer, including someone claiming to be customer service, the police, or customs.
- Do not use an ATMCustoms will not ask you to use an ATM to “cancel an instalment setting” or “reverse a duplicate charge.” An ATM can only send money out; it cannot transfer money back to you—this is the easiest rule to remember.
What are the correct verification channels?
There are three channels, each providing more specific information than the last. The common rule: find and contact the official channel yourself. Do not use a link or telephone number supplied by the other party.
This is the official APP for real-name authentication of courier consignees. When a customs broker files a declaration, the system sends the declaration date, declaration number, house air waybill number, declared value, and description of goods to your APP for you to check individually. A “tax and fee notice” that does not appear in the APP is not your official customs-declaration information.For instructions, see the EZ WAY Real-Name Authentication Guide.
A legitimate provider will issue a tax bill or display details of the taxes and fees on its official platform. Contact it through an official channel you have saved yourself (its official website, APP, or the customer-service account you already use). Do not call back the number in the text message.
Questions about taxes and fees can be verified with the customs office at the place of importation. Official customs announcements, auction information, and legal interpretations are available on the official website for you to search and compare.
💡 One simple self-protection habit: bookmark the official APP or website of the logistics provider/consolidation service you use. Always open the site from your bookmark to check; never enter through a link in a message.
New system from March 2026: How does advance mandate confirmation protect you?
From 1 March 2026, all express import shipments subject to simplified declaration must complete “advance mandate confirmation” before the customs declaration—you must first confirm in the EZ WAY APP that the declaration information matches what you purchased. Without completed confirmation, the goods cannot be declared to customs.
The purpose of this new system is specifically to prevent people’s identities from being misused to declare illegally controlled goods or scam parcels for importation. Customs-declaration mandates were previously handled mainly on paper, offering inadequate protection for personal information and allowing dishonest operators to use other people’s identities for customs declarations. With online advance confirmation, any import declaration to be filed in your name must first receive your personal approval in the APP.
- Confirmation is required before the customs declaration: You are not notified only when the goods arrive. The customs broker sends the information to you for confirmation before filing, and the declaration cannot be filed unless you confirm it.
- You can select “Declaration does not match”: If you do not recognize the goods or value in the notification at all, select that the declaration does not match and customs will investigate—this is the correct response when a customs declaration has been filed fraudulently in your name.
- One mobile number can be linked to only one national ID number: This is a one-to-one link, so no one else can use your identity to register another account.
- There are two authentication methods: If the mobile number is registered in your name, telecommunications authentication can be completed immediately. If it is not registered in your name, or you use a prepaid SIM or special tariff plan, you must upload an image of your national ID and complete text-message verification. Review takes approximately 3 working days.
⚠️ Scam groups will use the new system as part of their scripts, for example: “Your advance mandate authentication has expired. Click here to reauthenticate.” Authentication is completed only inside the EZ WAY APP and never through a link in a text message. If you receive such a message, simply open the APP already installed on your phone to check.
Legal basis: The Ministry of Finance (財政部) has amended the relevant provisions of the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Maritime Express Consignments (海運快遞貨物通關辦法), Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Air Express Consignments (空運快遞貨物通關辦法), and Regulations Governing the Establishment and Management of Customs Brokers (報關業設置管理辦法).
When do you actually need to pay tax?
Cases where tax is genuinely due have clear criteria and verifiable records. Remember this table and you will be able to tell the difference at a glance.
| Item | Genuine Import Taxes and Fees | Scam Message |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation | An official tax bill states the declaration number and amount | Only a text message or Email, with no declaration number |
| Did you buy it? | Matches an order you placed yourself | A parcel you do not recognize at all |
| Basis for the amount | Customs value × tax rate, which can be calculated | A round-number amount with no explanation of how it was calculated |
| Verification channel | Can be checked through the EZ WAY APP, the provider’s official platform, or customs | Can be checked only through the link or telephone number provided by the other party |
| Payment method | Official payment channel | ATM transaction, convenience-store payment code, or transfer to a personal account |
| Time pressure | A statutory deadline applies, with no countdown | “Within 30 minutes only” or “Will be destroyed if not paid today” |
📌 One additional point that is often misunderstood: low-value goods with a customs value of ≤ NT$2,000 may be exempt from customs duty and business tax, limited to 6 times per person in each half-year. NT$2,000 is a threshold, not a tax-free allowance—once the threshold is exceeded, tax applies to the entire customs value, not merely the excess. Therefore, “even a small item was taxed” is not necessarily a scam; check the value and the number of imports.
If you were scammed and already paid tax, can you recover the overpayment?
Yes, and there is a clear official interpretation supporting it. Where an individual is defrauded through cross-border online shopping, the Ministry of Finance (財政部) has interpreted that the import declaration may be corrected and the tax refunded under Article 17, Paragraph 5 of the Customs Act (關稅法) and the Regulations Governing the Correction of Matters Declared in Import and Export Declarations (進出口報單申報事項更正作業辦法)—a point omitted from many anti-fraud articles.
- Deadline: Apply to the customs office at the place of importation to correct the import declaration within 6 months from the day after the imported goods are released.
- Required documents (5 items): ① Application and declaration form for a tax refund through correction of an import declaration following cross-border online-shopping fraud involving an individual ② Cross-border online transaction documents ③ Import taxation documents ④ Documents proving the original goods ⑤ A case acceptance certificate issued by the police.
- Goods qualifying as “low-value duty-free goods with a customs value of no more than NT$2,000” will not count towards the 6 duty-free import releases allowed per half-year—being scammed will not needlessly use up one of your duty-free allowances.
- An application to correct an import declaration is exempt from the NT$100 amendment processing fee.
🔑 Here is an important practical point: the 5th required document is the police case acceptance certificate—in other words, you must report the case to the police before you can obtain the document required for the tax-refund application. After being scammed, many people give up because “the amount was small and reporting it will not recover the money,” only to find that they cannot obtain a tax refund either. Reporting the case is not only about recovering your money; it is also necessary to obtain this certificate.
Another situation: defective-goods replacement rather than fraud
If you were not scammed, but the goods were defective and the supplier agreed to compensate you or replace them, the replacement goods may qualify for a tax exemption under Article 51, Paragraph 1 of the Customs Act (關稅法). The deadline is within 1 month from the day after the original goods were released for importation (much shorter than the 6-month deadline for a fraud-related tax refund, so take care). Defective goods with a customs value not exceeding NT$5,000 for which the supplier has declared abandonment and which do not need to be re-exported may be exempt from inspection, residual-value tax assessment, and supervised destruction.
※ The above are the general requirements specified in the official interpretations. Whether they apply to a particular case remains subject to the determination of the customs office at the place of importation based on the actual circumstances. You are advised to first ask customs which documents are required.
What should you do if you have already been scammed?
Do these three things at the same time, as quickly as possible. The critical window for stopping a money transfer is measured in minutes.
- Call the 165 Anti-Fraud Consultation HotlineProvide the transfer time, amount, and the recipient’s account details, and obtain further instructions.
- Ask your bank to stop paymentImmediately contact your card issuer or the bank holding the account from which the money was transferred and request that the funds be frozen and payment stopped. If your credit card was used fraudulently, report the card lost and dispute the transaction at the same time.
- Report the case to the police and retain all evidenceSave the conversation history, original text message (including the sender’s number), URL, transfer receipt, and screenshots. After reporting the case, make sure you obtain a “case acceptance certificate”—besides its use in the criminal case, this document is also required to apply for a refund of overpaid taxes as described in the previous section.
Reminder: fraudulent transfers are criminal matters and must be handled through the police-reporting process. Whether the money can be recovered depends on whether the flow of funds can be stopped. A “genuine import with overpaid taxes” and “being defrauded” involve two different legal procedures with different applicable provisions and deadlines. Do not confuse them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Official Sources
- Ministry of Finance (財政部) Letter Tai-Cai-Guan-Zi No. 1131014492 dated 27 May 2024——Tax-refund provisions for individuals defrauded through cross-border online shopping (Article 17, Paragraph 5 of the Customs Act (關稅法))
- Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (財政部關務署) Letter Tai-Cai-Guan-Zi No. 11310144921 dated 27 May 2024——Tax-exemption provisions for imported goods sent as compensation or replacement following cross-border online purchases by individuals (Article 51, Paragraph 1 of the Customs Act (關稅法))
- Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (財政部關務署) press release dated 17 December 2025, “Combating Fraudulent Customs Declarations: Customs Plans to Fully Implement Advance Mandate Confirmation Next Year”——Full implementation on 1 March 2026
- Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (財政部關務署), “Express Consignee Real-Name Authentication (EZ WAY) Section/Operating Instructions”——Authentication methods, notification fields, and handling of declarations that do not match
- Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Importing and Exporting Postal Parcels (郵包物品進出口通關辦法)——Customs-clearance and tax-collection procedures for postal parcels
- Chunghwa Post (中華郵政) EZPost International Mail Electronic Customs Information (ITMATT)——Official electronic customs-information channel for international mail
- Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance (財政部關務署), “Newly Issued Interpretive Letters on Customs Laws” list——Official compilation of interpretations relating to the Customs Act (關稅法)
- National Police Agency, Ministry of the Interior (內政部警政署) 165 Anti-Fraud Consultation Hotline——Scam verification and police reporting