Postcard-size mailings with the words “Pending Parcel Notice” and “Final Notice” have been circulating in mailboxes since at least the early 2000s. mail we looked for this story led to a company named Nuvia Water. The origins of a few of the other mailed cards were unclear.

We first reported this type of notice in 2006 in relation to a ‘Parcel Claim Notice’ shipper scam in the UK.

Our summary is this: If these types of shippers don’t specify a specific package delivery service such as the US Postal Service, UPS, or FedEx, it’s likely a company that wants to sell you something. In some cases, these mailings may be scams.

Reader’s Mail

In March 2022, we reviewed a recent email from a reader who had details to add to our 2006 story. The email read:

I just bought a house and got a notice like this (two, actually) in the mail. I initially assumed it was from the US Postal Service, but became suspicious upon realizing that the notices had in fact been posted with postage paid. Searching for the phone number on the map (702-586-0535) revealed a number of websites reporting the scam, including yours.

On the notices I received, there is no reference to what is in the detained package. Reviews were posted from 92586, for what it’s worth (Menifee, CA).

Full notice language follows below: PENDING PACKAGE NOTICE -> Receiver Request Only FINAL NOTICE For delivery options, please call: (702) 586-0535 All Package Headquarters PRIORITY: Final Notice Call within 3 days following receipt of this notice [bar code labeled “For Office Use Only] PACKAGE TYPE: Other Form DELOPWS 2020 Se Habla Espanol [in very small print at the bottom: “*some restrictions may apply”]

Links to Nuvia Water

Searching for some of the “Waiting Package Notice” senders led us to the California Water Company Nuvia Water. the Yellow Page for the company showed multiple reviews that included photos of similar senders.

According to the photographs posted with Yelp reviews, phone numbers 619-642-2204, 858-815-0186, 832-371-6265 and 619-363-3850 may have been associated with Nuvia Water at some point in the past:

Source: Yelp

We contacted Nuvia Water via email to find out more about the shippers. In our correspondence, we asked if the company holds packages in its facilities before sending these shipments and if these packages are labeled with specific names that correspond to the shipments before they are sent.

We also asked what happens to packages if a customer waits longer than the three days specified on shippers. Additionally, we inquired about the contents of the packages and asked if the company had designed the cards to lead customers to believe they were sent by an official postman.

Nuvia Water responds

“Nuvia does indeed offer a Nuvia Welcome Home Package for homeowners,” a company spokesperson told us.

These packages include a water test, leaflets/brochures on what water collection, treatment and distribution generally looks like, and a cash savings card. Use of the Nuvia Welcome Home Package is free, with no conditions or purchase required.

We prefer to test the water in front of adults at home for full transparency so they can witness the test. This is because there are other companies that invite people to send in bottles of their water that the companies claim to test. However, it is very doubtful that the water is tested. Owners also have the option of availing themselves of water information and the freebie of the month if they wish.

Regarding the “Waiting Package Notice” senders, the company claimed that they were not designed to mislead:

The postcards sent are designed to be economical and environmentally friendly, and not misleading. If you look at the postcard you will see that there is no statement or representation that the card is from an official postal carrier and the postcard contains our company name. It would be a waste to send large quantities of paper in the form of pamphlets if it were to be thrown away immediately. We reduce costs and our carbon footprint by sending the postcard first.

If we do not receive a response, we remove the recipient from the database and reassign the package to an interested owner.

They also said they were “not the only company sending out postcards like this.” According to Nuvia Water: “There are several cases of people receiving similar postcards, and after searching on Google, they immediately blame us for sending the postcard by posting a review online. However, different companies were responsible for sending these particular postcards that these people received.

Additional notes

We were unable to trace the origins of 702-586-0535, the phone number sent by a reader. It was also unclear whether 800-935-7710 was associated with the company. However, both numbers appeared on similar mailers regarding a ‘welcome gift’ or ‘parcel pending notice’ and were not official couriers from a postman.

In the past, the mklibrary.com blog reported on the matter as well, calling Nuvia Water shippers a scam. He posted that the following phone numbers were listed on similar senders, whether for Nuvia Water or another company: 559-271-6901, 916-245-1807, 626-365-0532, 737-931-1544, 619-824-3633, 619-363-4237, 714-786-8743, 702-586-0535, 714-486-3605, 714-786-8743 and 800-603-3102.

Searches for google also found previous reports of these types of email scams sent by unknown people or companies in Sacramento, Houston, Kansas Cityand other places.

For more information on what legitimate package reviews look like when left by postmen, visit usps.com, ups.comand fedex.com.

If readers wish to send details of couriers that promise a package is on hold, please contact us and include the details.

Sources:

Dreadnougat. “Parcel Pending Scam – Anyone else have one?” r/Kansascity on RedditJuly 18, 2021, www.reddit.com/r/kansascity/comments/omwifq/parcel_on_hold_scam_any_one_else_get_one_of_these/.

Halland, Lynette. “Waiting Parcel Notice” scam hits the local community. News from the four pointsJuly 26, 2021, https://www.fourpointsnews.com/2021/07/26/notice-of-parcel-on-hold-scam-hits-local-community/.

Pending Parcel Scam Notice – MK Library. July 1, 2021, https://www.mklibrary.com/notice-of-parcel-on-hold-scam/.

“Nuvia Water Technologies – Corona, CA.” Yelphttps://www.yelp.com/biz/nuvia-water-technologies-corona-2.

“Nuvia Water Technologies, Inc.” Better Business Bureauhttps://www.bbb.org/us/ca/corona/profile/water-purification-equipment/nuvia-water-technologies-inc-1066-89073563/complaints.

“Scam Package Tracking Notice Hits Fort Bend County.” ABC13 HoustonMarch 31, 2009, https://abc13.com/archive/6737503/.

Scam Involving Pending Package Notices Appearing in Sacramento Area. December 17, 2019, https://gooddaysacramento.cbslocal.com/2019/12/17/parcel-hold-scam-sacramento-shipping/.