MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) issued a warning on Friday, February 14, about an Internet-based scam that has victimized at least 12 people.
Scammers befriend the potential victim online, usually on chat or through dating websites. The scammers maintain communication with the victim, promising to send gifts.
The victim is sent a tracking number and invoice for the shipment. Victims eventually receive an email allegedly coming from the BOC where they are asked to pay duties and taxes to have the packages sent to them.
The email instructs victims to deposit the payments to a designated bank account or money transfer service, sending details of the breakdown of customs duties and taxes to add a sheen of legitimacy. Remitting or depositing the money completes the scam. The victims get nothing, and the scammers run away with the money.
The BOC clarified their own procedures, noting that it doesn’t give assessments and computations and taxes via email. Instead, these are computed and placed on an official BOC document, with taxes due payable only to the BOC rather than a bank.
Most of the scam’s victims are women and with the email senders supposedly originating from Australia, the United Kingdom and the US. – Rappler.com
Man on computer working image from Shutterstock
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