 "Ministry of Finance")
The Ministry of Finance on Wednesday cautioned people against fraudsters extorting money "in the name of Indian customs". Sharing a post on "matrimonial dating scam" on X (formerly known as Twitter), the ministry stated that Indian customs would never call or send a text message asking people to pay customs duty through a personal bank account.
The ministry stated that all communication from the Indian customs contains a document identification number (DIN) which can be verified on the official site of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
Beware of fraudsters extorting money in the name of Indian Customs!
— Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) August 9, 2023
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. #FraudAlert pic.twitter.com/3A1gybjyrL
"Beware of fraudsters extorting money in the name of Indian Customs! Indian Customs never calls or sends SMS to pay Customs Duty in a personal bank account. All communication from Indian Customs contains a DIN, which can be verified on the CBIC website," The ministry posted on X.
Several cases of such scams have been reported in the last year.
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In May, a police-sub-inspector's wife was cheated out of Rs 3.6 lakh in Mumbai by a fraud posing as a customs officer who promised her gold at a cheaper rate, The Hindustan Times (HT) reported. Police officials registered a case against Vaibhav Narde, 32, for cheating and impersonating a public servant under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act, 2000.
The victim told the police that Narde posed as a customs department senior official and said he wanted to sell her gold at a cheaper rate. Narde took Rs 3.6 lakh from the victim for 90 grams of gold.
In June, a couple from Maharashtra's Thane district posed as customs officials and cheated a policeman of Rs 6.7 lakh under the pretext of getting him a car at a lower price, according to a report by news agency PTI. Nayanagar police registered a case against the couple and another person on charges of cheating, based on the victim's complaint.
A police official said that the victim wanted to buy a car and came in contact with one of the accused, who introduced him to the couple. The couple claimed they were customs officials who could provide him with the car at cheaper rates.
