MANILA – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Saturday warned the public against unscrupulous persons pretending to be from the BOC asking for payment of taxes and fees to be paid via virtual wallet GCash or bank transfer.
The BOC reminded that it does not collect payments for customs duties and taxes using personal accounts or through remittance centers.
“BOC officials, including the BOC Customer Assistance and Response Services, do not directly communicate with parcel recipients via phone call, text message, or email to inform them or ask them to pay via bank deposit or money transfer for parcels to be released,” the BOC said.
A fake letter with the BOC logo was addressed to Yannahsher’s Office Supplies, dated Dec. 4, 2022, asking for the payment of taxes and fees (processing, branding and clearance/documents/file compilation) amounting to PHP128,585.45 through GCash or bank transfer for the release of 35 laptops.
The letter was supposedly a certified true copy signed by a certain Raquel de Jesus of the BOC-Central Records Management Division and former commissioner Rey Guerrero.
Scams may be reported to landline number (02)8705-6000 or to the official BOC social media accounts: @BureauOfCustomsPH (Facebook), @customs.ph (Instagram and Twitter) and @Bureau of Customs PH (Viber).
An email may also be sent to [email protected]. (PNA)
