Be careful if you receive an email with the message “General Directorate of Customs and Indirect Taxes”: The senders claim to first inform you about the applicable customs regulations and then demand payment of outstanding VAT costs - over 50 euros should be paid online using Paysafecard.
You should then send the associated PIN code to a specified email address.
Don't be unsettled if the tracking number provided is actually correct. This is a nasty attempt at fraud! The customs administration never requests payment of fees via anonymous payment service providers such as Paysafecard.
Example of such an email:
Your DHL package: No. RR2984065297DE, shipped on May 24th, 2022, is being processed. In order for us to deliver your package, the importer will be charged the VAT costs again.
According to current customs regulations, any import from a country outside the European Community with a commercial value of more than EUR 22 is subject to tax, regardless of the type of goods *.
* Articles 134-I and II-1 ° of the CGI: LAW No. 2012-1510 of May 3, 2017 – Art. 68 (V) The validation of the Paysafecard balance for the payment of customs duties is valid.
In order to enable delivery of your package to your home address, we ask you to settle your unpaid customs duties by following the steps below to complete the delivery of your package:
1. Buy a Paysafecard PIN code online (50 EUR)
2. Send the PIN code (16 digits) to the following address: paysafecard@zoll-otp.deGreetings, Customs Customer Service

How do you recognize the fraud?
- Impersonal salutation: In both emails you will be addressed as “Dear Customer” and not your name. This may be a sign that the email is being sent en masse and randomly.
- Incorrect sender addresses: The emails known to us are sent from sender addresses such as noreply@zoll-post.de or Zoll-paket-dienste@Osterreichischer- Zoll.at. If you do a quick search for Austrian customs or the German post office, it becomes clear that these email addresses cannot be correct. If you are still unsure, contact the respective company directly via the homepage and ask whether the email is legitimate.
- Paysafecard: If you are asked to purchase a Paysafecard to pay customs duties, you can ignore the email. Because such a demand is extremely atypical for public authorities.
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