Beware of Fraudsters Extorting Money in the Name of Indian Customs: Customs Warn

Indian Customs never calls or send SMS for paying Customs Duty in a personal bank account. All communication from Indian Customs contain a DIN which can be verified on CBIC website.

The Issued Public Notice is Given Below:

Extortion of money in the names of Customs Officers

Instances have come to the notice that general public is being cheated by unscrupulous elements, by first becoming friendly through social media i.e., face book/matrimonial sites/messenger or through some other channel and subsequently promising them to send parcels of various articles to India against payment in the name of Customs Duties. They then impersonate as Customs Officers by using their names and instruct the consignees (i.e., general public) to deposit money in the bank Account created by them for fraudulent purpose to extort money. They may also issue fictitious receipts for duty demand purportedly made by Customs.

2. General Public is hereby informed that Customs Officers never call anyone and ask to pay Customs Duty to any specific individual’s account or into his account. It is also informed that the Customs Duty can only be deposited in favour of Commissioner of Customs (Government Account) “A/c Head 0037 Customs Duties through nominated banks such as Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India etc. for the Commissionerate of Delhi Customs.

3. General public is also informed that whenever any promise of so-called parcel at Delhi Airport ostensibly sent by such unscrupulous elements is made, they can perform the due diligence by confirming the veracity of the tracking number of the parcels through the tracking service sites provided by authorized couriers or postal department.

4. Further, the General Public is alerted/advised not to pay any amount in the name of Customs to any person or to any private account, if anybody demands such payments claiming to be officer of Customs on the parcels alleged to be detained by Customs at Delhi Airport/Import/Export Shed/FPO. For any query or verification following Customs Officers can be contacted:

a) Deputy/ Asstt. Commissioner of Customs, Foreign Post Office, Phone: 011-23238917.
b) Deputy/ Asstt. Commissioner of Customs, NCT, New Delhi, Phone: O11- 47019839 / 40571151.
c) Deputy/ Asstt. Commissioner of Customs (Admn), Phone: 011-25654 290
d) Superintendent of Customs (Hqr), Phone -011-25655150.

To Read Public Notice Download PDF Given Below: