Fraud Alert: Indian Customs Never Calls or Sends SMS; Don’t fall prey to Fraudulent Calls

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has issued a warning against fraudulent online trader frauds. This is the government’s and authorities’ subsequent warning notice after the alert regarding fake Income Tax Return (ITR) refund messages.

The CBIC tweeted on their official twitter handle, “Don’t fall prey to Fraudulent Calls, Emails, Messages and Social Media Posts claiming to be from Indian Customs and demanding payment of customs duty in personal bank accounts.”

The Indian customs authorities do not call or send SMS for customs duty payments. Every correspondence from Indian Customs carries a unique Document Identification Number (DIN), which may be verified on the CBIC Official Website. Officials have warned that if you receive similar texts or calls, you report them to your local police.

Scammers send phoney communications claiming that “your package has been received and you must pay a small amount of customs duty to collect.” While the phrasing may change, the content remains the same. Scammers are capable of forging the DIN number; therefore, users should cross-check the DIN on the CBIC website to ensure its legitimacy.