DHL - A warning

Chucklechops

Hi

I occasionally buy things from overseas.

Today I received a final demand letter purporting to be from DHL, stating I owe them £65 'import duty & VAT'.

They threaten to claim via the county court if I don't pay.

It's fairly convincing, but then they say this:

'To make a payment, please refer to the bank details and payment options available on your invoice to ensure you are making payment to the correct bank account. Click here to learn more about payment-options:

https: //mydhl.express.dhl/gb/en/payment -options'

An official letter wouldn't ask you to click on a link!

Plus, why would they release an item to me, before securing the payment?

Scary though, that they should try to scam me by post!

MyRealNameToo

Chucklechops said:

Hi

I occasionally buy things from overseas.

Today I received a final demand letter purporting to be from DHL, stating I owe them £65 'import duty & VAT'.

They threaten to claim via the county court if I don't pay.

It's fairly convincing, but then they say this:

'To make a payment, please refer to the bank details and payment options available on your invoice to ensure you are making payment to the correct bank account. Click here to learn more about payment-options:

https://mydhl.express.dhl/gb/en/payment -options'

An official letter wouldn't ask you to click on a link!

Plus, why would they release an item to me, before securing the payment?

Scary though, that they should try to scam me by post!

Some couriers charge before delivering goods, some charge afterwards. It can vary by service too. If you pay it before or after doesnt change if you are liable for it, nor does refusing delivery stop you being liable for it. Most want payment first because it's easier to get people to pay when they want their stuff but not all do. 

That website will be a genuine DHL website given that DHL owns the DHL top level domain and so no one else can create a website using it without their permission and why would DHL give someone else permission to use their domain to scam their customers. 

As to why put payment details on a website rather than paperwork? DHL operate many sub businesses maybe its cheaper for them to print many more generic letter type that all the business can use rather than having different ones for each business and having to ensure the right version is sent to each customer by the central accounts payable team? 

We had our offices right next to a DHL depot but most senders use a different service so our parcels always came from a different depot 20 miles away. They wouldnt even leave the parcel with the depot as our "safe place neighbour". When they delivered a large heavy item to the wrong address they had to send someone from Dartford to move it rather than the someone from the depot next to us and 600m from where they'd dropped it off in error. 


I'd suggest looking up the telephone number for DHL, not from the letter, and phoning them as from what you say that letter looks legitimate 

Chucklechops

Thanks, I got the number off Chat GPT & spoke to someone who confirmed it will be a scam. Also, the letter doesn't quote a shipment number or reference for the parcel.

MyRealNameToo

Chucklechops said:

Thanks, I got the number off Chat GPT & spoke to someone who confirmed it will be a scam. Also, the letter doesn't quote a shipment number or reference for the parcel.

It would be odd for a scam to refer you to an official website to see where to send the money to. Why would a scammer want to enrich DHL?

oldernonethewiser

You mention letter, was it a real old fashioned letter or an email?

MyRealNameToo

oldernonethewiser said:

You mention letter, was it a real old fashioned letter or an email?

They say it came via the post

A Courier will always have your postal address but won't always have your email if you are the receiver of a parcel

GingerTim

Chucklechops said:

Thanks, I got the number off Chat GPT & spoke to someone who confirmed it will be a scam. Also, the letter doesn't quote a shipment number or reference for the parcel.

Don't ask ChatGPT for this sort of stuff - it's not a search engine and is notorious for making stuff up. It's the last place I would go to check if something is a scam.

Just look at the numbers on the DHL website.

jon81uk

Lots of official letters ask you to go to websites to make payment. DHL will have your postal address but maybe not other details.

Ask them for a copy of the invoice and that will show the package it relates to.

sheramber

You’ll know if it was not a scam when you receive the court Simmons.

murfmeister

Hi, I just returned from hols to find the 'same' letter.. for £51.37 unpaid duty... couldnt for the life of me remember what I'd bought that would attract that amount(and had not seen any previous correspondence - so thought it might be fishy - as there was no shipping number) ... so, eventually found a number a useful number through the DHL site and spoke to a human.. 0344 2480777 option 7(accounts) very helpful... turns out I bought a part for my bike from Serbia 5 months ago.. the sending company had put the wrong amount on the commercial invoice - instead of being 68euros, they'd managed to put 25k euros!!!! - So very REAL letter. So I'm now paying DHL and arguing the toss with the supplier for a refund of the £51.... Just signed up to share that experience... hope if helps.

murfmeister

murfmeister said:

Hi, I just returned from hols to find the 'same' letter.. for £51.37 unpaid duty... couldnt for the life of me remember what I'd bought that would attract that amount(and had not seen any previous correspondence - so thought it might be fishy - as there was no shipping number) ... so, eventually found a number a useful number through the DHL site and spoke to a human.. 0344 2480777 option 7(accounts) very helpful... turns out I bought a part for my bike from Serbia 5 months ago.. the sending company had put the wrong amount on the commercial invoice - instead of being 68euros, they'd managed to put 25k euros!!!! - So very REAL letter. So I'm now paying DHL and arguing the toss with the supplier for a refund of the £51.... Just signed up to share that experience... hope if helps.

Addendum - contacted the supplier who DID put the correct amount on the commercial invoice of $83 - and 'somehow' DHL have translated that to $25,000.00... it's all very odd - anyhow, awaiting response from DHL having sent them the suppliers commercial invoice... more to follow no doubt...