Head of the Sub-directorate of Public Relations and Customs Counseling Hatta Wardhana stated that in May, the Customs office received 714 fraud complaints, an increase of 10.87 percent compared with 644 complaints recorded in the previous month.

Hatta explained that commonly fraudsters will ask buyers for additional money claiming that the purchases are held at the Customs office. The prospective victim is under threat by the fraudster who impersonates a Customs official and asks the victim to transfer money to a personal bank account.

Hatta revealed five facts that the public should understand to prevent them from falling victim to fraud. First, the public should understand the regulations concerning customs and excise related to the consignment so that it is not easy for them to be tricked by a fraudster claiming to be from Customs.

If goods are for sale domestically and the seller says that the consignment is held at the Customs office, it is clear that it is fraud. The Customs office is not tasked with checking consignments within the country, except for consignments from a free trade zone.

Second, if informed that the goods purchased from a foreign country are held at the Customs office, the status of the consignment can be checked at beacukai.go.id/barangkiriman. If the seller fails to provide a receipt number, leaving the goods unable to be traced, this will confirm fraud.

Third, the Customs and Excise office never contacts owners of goods to pay import duty and tax with respect to imports. The Customs office also never asks owners of goods to transfer money to pay duties to a personal bank account because payments for state revenue are made using a billing code.

“Commonly the fraudster contacts the prospective victim through his/her private number, asking the victim to transfer money to the criminal’s private account, making threats of sending the victim to jail, asking him/her to pay fines, and adopting the identity of a civil servant by misusing a photo wearing a uniform or civil servant ID Card. The public should beware of this,” Hatta said.   

Fourth, indications of fraud can be confirmed by contacting Bravo Customs 1500225 or email to info@customs.go.id. The public can also contact Customs through official communication channels/social media, facebook.com/beacukaiRI, facebook.com/bravobeacukai, Twitter @BeaCukaiRI, @BravoBeaCukai or Instagram @BeaCukaiRI.

“Finally, those that have fallen victim to fraud can contact the police through Call Center 110 or patrolisiber.id, or report it to the related bank for tracking and blocking the bank account owned by the fraudster,” he continued.

Hatta added that if the public actively confirm indications of fraud, then fraud attempts can be foiled and material losses averted,

Based on confirmed fraud attempts reported to Customs and Excise in April, the office managed to foil fraud attempts and prevented losses of Rp 1.3 million, US$38,900 US and 300,750 ringgit.

“We continue to encourage the public to be cautious in making transactions and ask them to contact Bravo Customs for confirmation in the event of an indication of fraud on behalf of Custom and Excise,” he said.

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