Parcel scams target everyone: the recipient waiting for a package, the shop sending one, the courier collecting the cash. They nearly always rely on the same trick: urgency, a small amount to pay, and a link or a code to hand over. Here are the five most common parcel scams in Morocco, the signs that give them away, and where to report them.
In this guide9
011. The fake delivery text
How it works. A message says your parcel is held: incomplete address, customs fees, a "redelivery fee" of a few dirhams. A link leads to a page copying the carrier's website, which asks for your bank card, then the confirmation code your bank sends you.
In Morocco. DHL Morocco warned at the end of 2024 about fake messages asking people to "correct the delivery address". Bank Al-Maghrib, the central bank, warned in November 2025 about texts impersonating banks, public services and delivery companies. In April 2026, the DGSSI (the national information-security agency) flagged a wave of fake texts about traffic fines, built on the same model.
Your parcel is on hold: incomplete address. Pay a 9.90 DH redelivery fee before tonight at bit.ly/•••10:42
- Urgency“before tonight”, so you pay without thinking
- A small amount9.90 DH, too little to raise suspicion
- A shortened linknot the carrier's official address
- A foreign numberMoroccan authorities do not text from abroad
A message made up for this example, modelled on the campaigns reported in Morocco.
The signs.
- urgency ("last day today");
- a small amount, so you pay without thinking;
- a shortened link or an address that doesn't look like the official site;
- a foreign number: according to the DGSSI, Moroccan authorities don't write from foreign numbers;
- spelling mistakes, or a parcel you aren't expecting.
What to do. Don't click. Type the carrier's official address yourself and track your parcel with its number. Never enter your card or a bank code on a page opened from a text message.
022. The call asking for a code
How it works. Someone calls: "I'm the courier, I've sent you a code, read it to me so I can confirm." That code is often the one that opens your WhatsApp account, your bank or an app on a new phone.
What to do. A sign-in code is never given to anyone. On Delivery Center, the app reminds you when you enter it: don't give this code to anyone, even someone claiming to work for Delivery Center.
A parcel's delivery code, on the other hand, is meant to be given, but only at the right moment: in person, at the door, when the courier hands you your parcel. Nobody needs that code by phone before the delivery.
033. The fake order
How it works. For a shop: an order with a fake name, a number that stops answering, a vague address. The parcel leaves, comes back, and you pay for the round trip. Sometimes it's a prank, sometimes a competitor, sometimes a customer ordering "to see".
What to do.
- confirm every order in writing, and ship only after the customer replies;
- call the number before shipping a valuable order;
- for a made-to-measure product, ask for a deposit;
- keep your own list of numbers that have refused without a reason. That's personal data: don't publish it or share it.
Our guide to reducing cash-on-delivery returns covers confirmation in detail, with a message template.
044. The scam aimed at the courier
How it works. The courier is asked to advance the value of the goods ("pay me now, you'll get it back on delivery"), or to deliver to a different address from the one agreed. Or the recipient pays with counterfeit notes, or with notes withdrawn from circulation.
What to do.
- a courier never pays anything to take a parcel. On Delivery Center, your fee is paid by the sender at pickup, or taken from the cash collected; there's no third way;
- you deliver to the parcel's address, not to one you're given on the way;
- check 100 and 200 DH notes against the light. Since 1 January 2026, the 1987 series, the 1990 10 DH note and the 1996 20 DH note are no longer legal tender.
Everything about the cash collected is in our guide to handing collected cash back to the sender.
055. The "empty" or swapped parcel
How it works. After the handover, the recipient says the box was empty, or the product isn't the right one. Sometimes it's a genuine packing mistake, sometimes an attempt to get a second product.
What to do.
- for the shop: photograph the product and the sealed parcel before pickup, and seal the box with tape you'd recognise;
- for the courier: don't leave a parcel without the delivery code or a photo at the door;
- for both: settle it quickly and in writing, with that evidence in front of you.
06Habits that protect everyone
- Don't click a delivery link received by text: go to the official site yourself.
- Don't give any code received by text or WhatsApp to anyone.
- Don't pay anything to "release" a parcel.
- Give the delivery code only when the parcel is in your hands.
- Keep the messages, photos and numbers: they're your evidence.
07Where to report a scam
- Your bank, straight away, if you gave your card or a code: have the card blocked before anything else.
- The police or the gendarmerie, to file a complaint.
- The E-Blagh platform of the DGSN, Morocco's national police (e-blagh.ma), open since June 2024 for reporting cybercrime content.
- The carrier whose name was used, so it can warn its customers.
Delivery Center
How Delivery Center limits these risks
On Delivery Center nobody asks for your bank card: the app keeps none, and the cash goes hand to hand. Signing in on a new phone asks for a code sent by WhatsApp or email, which you give to nobody. Every parcel has its delivery code; without it, the courier calls the sender or delivers with a photo, which the sender sees. New couriers start with a cash ceiling, ratings go both ways, and a payment marked "not received" shows on the offers of the courier concerned. For the full picture of delivery, read our guide to e-commerce delivery in Morocco.
09Frequently asked questions
I got a text about a parcel I'm not expecting. What should I do?
Nothing: don't click, don't reply, delete it. If in doubt, look up the carrier's official site yourself and enter your tracking number, if you have one.
I clicked and entered my card. What now?
Call your bank immediately to block the card, then change any passwords you may have typed. Keep the text and the site's address, and file a complaint with the police or the gendarmerie.
Can a courier ask me to pay before giving me the parcel?
With cash on delivery, you pay at the handover, the amount the sender told you, no more. If the amount doesn't match, call the sender before paying.
Can Delivery Center call me to ask for a code?
No. Nobody at Delivery Center will ever ask for your sign-in code or your bank details.
My parcel is lost or late. What should I do?
Start with tracking: the tracking number on the carrier's official site, or the parcel's page in the app. Then make a written complaint to the carrier, with the parcel number, the date sent, photos and the declared value, and keep a copy of everything. On Delivery Center, call the courier from the parcel's page; you can also write to support, with the parcel code and what happened.
Sources
- Fake DHL Morocco messages: scam alert — Walaw (in French) (17/12/2024)
- SMS banking fraud: Bank Al-Maghrib's warning — Maroc Hebdo (in French) (14/11/2025)
- DGSSI security note on fake fine texts — LeSiteinfo (in French) (04/04/2026)
- The DGSN launches the E-Blagh platform — Médias24 (in French) (06/06/2024)
- Banknotes withdrawn from circulation — Bank Al-Maghrib (in French) (read 25/09/2026)
