Fake DHL Texts Exposed: 'Kings of Scam' Wins Top Journalism Prize
Munich – November 05, 2026 -- The three-part documentary series "Kings of Scam" about the fake DHL text message scam is available in the ARD Mediathek and has won first prize at the Helmut Schmidt Journalist Prize. The Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) production traces the criminal network behind the messages and a mysterious piece of software.
The scam starts with a harmless-sounding parcel notice
The series opens with a message like this one: a DHL parcel has arrived at the warehouse, cannot be delivered because of an incomplete address, and the recipient must confirm the address via a link within 12 hours. According to the source, messages like this open the door to a large-scale fraud. Every year, sensitive data is stolen from hundreds of thousands of people, and their credit card details are skimmed.