DHL “We Couldn’t Deliver Your Parcel”; Malware Emails Continue
The original site is no longer online; links go to the Internet Archive copy.
The claim
Email purporting to be from DHL Express claims that the company could not deliver your parcel because the delivery address could not be verified. The email urges you to open an attached.zip file to access and print a shipment label.
Subject: Parcel details Dear [name removed]
We couldn’t deliver your parcel on September 30th because we couldn’t verify the given address.Attached is the shipment label. Please print it out to take the parcel from our office.Label-ID: a5175b10d91c748787c08c4b79963d47a97907800fdf
Best Wishes,
[Name Removed]
DHL Express Service
What the fact-checkers found
The email is not from DHL and the claim that a parcel could not be delivered is a lie. The attached zip file harbours a malicious file that, if opened, can install Locky ransomware on your computer. This message is just one in a long line of “failed parcel delivery” malware emails.
According to this email, which claims to be from delivery company DHL, the company could not deliver your parcel on a specified date. Supposedly, the delivery failed because DHL could not verify your delivery address. It instructs you to open an attached file so that you can print out a shipment label to take to your local DHL office.
However, the email has no connection whatsoever with DHL and the attachment does not contain a shipment label.
If you open the attached.zip file you will find that it contains a malicious file withe the extension “.wsf”. If you then open this file, Locky ransomware will be installed on your Windows computer.
Once installed, Locky can encrypt all of the important files on your computer. It will than demand that you pay a fee to online criminals to get the key to decrypt your files.
There is no quick or easy way to recover your files unless you have recent off-computer backups. If you do pay the requested fee, you might receive the decryption key as promised. However, since you will be dealing with criminals, there is no guarantee that they will ever give you the promised key.
This malware email is just one in a long line of similar “delivery failure” malware messages that have been hitting inboxes all around the world for several years. Alternative versions have claimed to be from FedEx, UPS, Australia Post and a number of other companies.
Be wary of any email or text message that claims that a parcel delivery has failed due to an addressing error.
The following Hoax-Slayer YouTube video covers a FedEx version of this malware attack:
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Check a similar messageRelated fact-checks
Browse the archive →FedEx Incorrect Delivery Address Malware Email
The emails are not from FedEx. The claim that a package has been returned is a lie designed to trick recipients into opening the attached file or following a link. The attachment contains malware.
Australia Post Undelivered Package Malware Emails
This story was first published on September 19th, 2011
USPS Malware Emails
The emails are not from USPS. The claim that USPS failed to deliver a parcel to the recipient is untrue. Clicking on the ‘shipping label’ link in the emails will download a malicious file to the user’s computer.
DHL Notification Malware Email
The emails are not from DHL. The attachments contain malware that, once installed, can connect to malicious websites, download additional malware components and steal personal information from the infected computer.