Government Warns of Fraud Scams in Name of Indian Customs

New Delhi: In a move to protect citizens of the country from the rampant online frauds, the government on Sunday asked the public to stay alert and discern the modus operandi of fraudsters committing fraud in the name of Indian customs. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has launched a comprehensive public awareness campaign to counteract such scams.

“Various incidents have come to light through news portals/social media platforms of fraudulent persons posing as Indian Customs officers cheating the public of their hard-earned money across the country. These frauds are primarily done using digital means like phone calls or SMS, and are focused on extracting money through the ‘purported’ fear of immediate penal actions,” the CBIC said in a statement.

In order to counter these frauds through public awareness, the CBIC is mounting a multi-modal awareness campaign that includes newspaper advertisement, SMS/e-mails to the general public, social media campaign, besides awareness campaigns by the CBIC field formations.

“Some of the common modus operandi used by fraudsters is fake calls/SMS. The fraudsters posing as courier officials/staff target the unaware people via calls, text messages or e-mails claiming that customs have held a package or parcel and requires payment of customs duties or taxes before it can be released,” the CBIC said.

Victims are made to believe that their package has been seized by customs due to illegal contents (such as drugs/foreign currency/fake passport/contraband items) or violations of customs regulations. The fraudsters threaten legal action or fines and demand payment to resolve the issue.

The CBIC also advised the public to take measures to safeguard themselves from becoming a victim of such scams by discerning the modus operandi of fraudsters, protecting their information, verifying antecedents of the caller and reporting such acts by staying alert.

Then these fraudsters impersonate as customs/police/CBI officials demanding payment of customs duty/clearance fees for packages/gifts that purportedly have been received from a foreign country. Targeted individuals are asked to make payments for the release of their goods.