Tips & tricks to recognise phishing and what to do with it

What is phishing?

There is an increasing amount of fake messages from scammers who approach you via e-mail, text message or social media in order to steal personal information from you . Usually, these messages contain a link to a fake website where they ask for bank details or pin codes, or to quickly pay an amount of money. These fraudulent messages are also known as phishing or smishing (fake text messages).

Protecting yourself against phishing

Tip 1: Check the web and sender address.

A fraudulent mail or text message usually contains a link or button that leads to an unreliable website. You can check the website of the link by hovering your mouse over the link (do not click). The web address will then appear in the bottom left of your browser. If you do not immediately recognise the address, do not click on the link. You can recognise our e-mails by the sender's address which almost always ends with bpost.be:

If you do receive an e-mail of bpost with a domain name other than 'bpost.be', then this may be a phishing e-mail. Are you expecting a parcel and did you opt for SMS notification? Then you will only receive text messages from bpost originating from 8152 (so not from a mobile number, for example). If you want to know where your parcel is exactly, always visit our Track & Trace or check the My bpost app.

Tip 2: Do not believe every text message or e-mail and do not let yourself be persuaded too easily.

First of all, ask yourself whether you are expecting a parcel. For shipments within the EU, bpost will never ask you to pay when your parcel is in transit (e.g. to avoid extra costs), or to provide personal information by e-mail or text message. Furthermore, bpost will never threaten to send a bailiff if you don't pay for your parcel.

Tip 3: Watch out for language errors and impersonal titles

Phishing messages are often sent to many people at once, so the titles are rarely personal. Can you discover language errors, strange wording or are you addressed in another language? Then there is a good chance that you are dealing with a scammer.

Track, receive and send your parcels easily with the My bpost app

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Did you accidentally click on a suspicious link?

Once you have clicked on a link in a phishing message, you are usually directed to a page where you are asked for certain information (e.g. bank details for payment, reset your password, etc.). As soon as you perform this action, scammers gain access to your data. Opening an attachment can also cause your device to be infected or blocked.

Has the damage been done and have you suffered financial or other losses? Report this as soon as possible to the police, your bank and consult Meldpunt. Change your pin codes and passwords immediately.