Long-distance dating · Parcel requests
Your long-distance date asks you to forward a parcel. What now?
Pause before accepting or forwarding
You can say no to receiving or forwarding a parcel for someone you are dating online. Do not share your home or work address just because you are asked. If a package has already arrived, pause before forwarding it and contact the carrier through a number or website you find independently. Seek trustworthy local advice if you are concerned. The request is a warning to check, not proof of what is inside.
Adult professional Amina has been speaking with Kojo, who lives in another country. Kojo asks whether an acquaintance can send a package to her so she can mail it onward. He says it will save time. Amina has not met the acquaintance and does not know what the parcel contains.
Why pause?
The US Postal Inspection Service warns that some romance scammers ask people to transfer money or packages. Its separate guidance describes fake work-from-home arrangements where packages may contain goods bought with stolen payment details. Those examples show a risk; they do not establish that Kojo’s parcel contains stolen goods.
A favor that involves receiving and forwarding a third person’s package is different from deciding whether to accept an ordinary gift. You can decline without proving anyone’s intentions.
Choose what to share
Amina can reply, “I am not comfortable receiving or forwarding someone else’s package.” She does not need to provide her address, employer’s address, identification or payment details to make her point. If Kojo keeps pressing, she can pause the conversation, block the account or use the platform’s reporting options.
If a package has already arrived
Do not forward it just because someone in the chat says to. Contact the delivery company using contact details you find on its official website or another independently verified source; ask how to handle the delivery. Keep any messages and delivery information if it is safe to do so. Local rules differ, so seek trustworthy local consumer or legal advice if you need it.
If a package seems dangerous, do not handle or open it; move away and contact the appropriate local emergency service. This guide cannot identify a package or tell you which local authority has jurisdiction.
Keep other requests separate
Someone may also ask you to pay a delivery fee or transfer money. Check any request independently rather than using a link supplied in the chat. The US Federal Trade Commission explains that romance scammers often build trust before asking for money; that description is not proof about Kojo.
Keep reading
More ways to protect yourself online
Sources and what they can tell us
Amina and Kojo are invented adults. Agency reporting routes and legal rules differ by country; the handling choices are Afrolu editorial guidance.
- US Postal Inspection Service: Money mule
It warns that romance scammers may ask people to transfer money or packages.
Limit: It is US agency guidance and cannot identify the contents or intent in Amina’s example. - US Postal Inspection Service: Work-from-home scams and reshipping schemes
It describes fraudulent reshipping jobs and packages that may contain goods bought with stolen cards.
Limit: Its examples concern employment schemes; not every parcel request is criminal. - US Federal Trade Commission: What to know about romance scams
It describes scammers building trust and then seeking money.
Limit: It cannot determine whether Kojo is a scammer or guarantee a recovery.
Questions about parcel requests
Is every request to forward a parcel a scam?
No. A request alone does not prove a scam, but you may decline and check it independently.
Must I give my work address instead?
No. You do not have to provide a home or work address for the request.
Should I forward it while I investigate?
Pause first and ask the carrier through an independently verified contact route.