Is the “Unpaid Customs Duty on Your Parcel” Text Message a Scam?

What are the most common customs parcel scams?

⚠️ 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?

• 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 WeCom. 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?

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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?

💡 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.

Which scams impersonating tax or customs authorities have officials warned about in the past three months?

Note: the entries of 9/14, 9/21 and 10/16 mainly target businesses (companies), while those of 9/2 and 10/1 target the general public. The table only summarizes the original text of the official press releases; scam tactics are not limited to these.

Common features in the official warnings

• Impersonating an agency: refund notices, abnormal tax payments, account audits, invoice number track reviews, assessment notices; the pretexts often tie in with current events.
• Asking you to click a link, scan a QR Code, fill in a form or download an attachment (the attachment may be a compressed file carrying malware).
• Asking for personal and financial data: ID number, business tax ID number, bank account number, credit card details, or guiding you to operate an ATM.
• Creating urgency: handle it by a deadline, "failure to cooperate will result in a fine".
• Wrong domain: not ending in ".gov.tw", or with letters or digits added before gov (such as 123gov). The Northern Area National Taxation Bureau also warns: even if the message URL is ".gov.tw", a link inside the content that is garbled or points to an unfamiliar domain may still be phishing.

Correct ways to verify (open them yourself; do not use the links or phone numbers in the message)

Compared with the real process for import duties and taxes on cross-border online shopping

New system from March 2026: How does advance mandate confirmation protect you?

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.

Legal basis: The Ministry of Finance has amended the relevant provisions of the Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Maritime Express Consignments, Regulations Governing Customs Clearance Procedures for Air Express Consignments, and Regulations Governing the Establishment and Management of Customs Brokers.

When do you actually need to pay tax?

📌 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?

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?

1. Call the 165 Anti-Fraud Consultation HotlineProvide the transfer time, amount, and the recipient’s account details, and obtain further instructions.
2. 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.
3. 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