The Bureau of Customs-Davao District has warned on a fraudulent online scheme where scammers posing as foreigners would befriend later engage on an “long-distance” online relationship with their would-be victims. These lovers would then tell their victims that they have sent gifts and would need a deposit of payment so they can get their packages held by the Bureau of Customs.
Dubbed as “Love Scam” this online fraud earns by duping people to pay for the parcels containing gifts that were supposed to be sent by their foreigner lovers and are kept at the Customs warehouse.
“This is a problem nationwide, it is difficult to quantify it as it has been happening for a long time, dugay na pud naga engage ang Bureau of Customs (the Bureau of Customs has long been engaged) in the information drive para mainform ang atong general public,” Bureau of Customs Davao District Collector Atty. Erastus Sandino Austria said.
Atty. Austria said most victims have shelled out P30,000 to P50,000 to pay for these so-called gifts kept at the Bureau of Customs.
“Maybe thousands have been victimized by love scam over the years nationwide,” the Customs Collector said during his guesting at Kapihan sa NCCC on August 4.
He added that their office has receive about 100 reports of these cases but many are still unreported as most are ashamed of divulging that they have been tricked into falling in love with these scammers.
Austria said that legitimate customs personnel would never call persons telling there are parcels to be claimed and would ask for payment.
He said these scammers are really patient investing time and effort in cultivating friendship and romantic relationship which many of their victims would fall for believing that it is real.
He said it is hard to distinguish between real people and scammers but there is one red-flag that it is a potential scam.
“Once it reaches the stage that he has sent a package for you, the best thing to do is to call the Bureau of Customs and verify. We will give you all of the information,” Austria said. (PIA/RG Alama)
