Withheld parcels, gold bars: Scammers turn to new ruse to impersonate Customs officers

Scammers are now impersonating as Singapore Customs officers to trick victims into making payments or divulging their banking details for supposedly withheld parcels and gold bars. 

In one such scam, victims would receive an email from sgpcustoms648171@gmail.com with a fake inspection notice, said Singapore Customs on Wednesday (Dec 3). 

Containing details impersonating a member of Singapore Customs’ senior management, the victims would be told to be present for an on-site inspection of the goods. 

In lieu of being physically present, the scammers would offer victims the alternative of paying a "verification fee" to a Malaysian bank account. They would be told that the parcel would be released after payment is made, along with a full refund. 

Victims would also be asked to fill up a forged "Singapore Customs Inspection Agreement" form with their bank account details for the supposed refund. 

The scammers would also send follow-up emails threatening the victims to make the bank transfer, failing which the Malaysian police would be notified to initiate arrest proceedings for contraband. 

Several victims who contacted Singapore Customs to verify the authenticity of the emails and documents used Malaysian-registered telephone numbers. 

Another variant of scam involved conmen, posing as Singapore Customs officers, contacting victims through messages on WhatsApp.

They would claim that gold bars registered under the victims names are being held by Singapore Customs. 

The victims would receive photographs of the supposed gold bars and a forged document with the Singapore Customs logo and falsified shipping details. 

They would be told to pay for the release of the gold bars — or face immediate seizure of the gold, legal action for "customs evasion" and "blacklisting from all future shipments". 

Singapore Customs said they will never request payment to release parcels and official correspondence is only sent from email addresses containing the @customs.gov.sg domain. 

They do not send emails through personal accounts, WhatsApp and other messaging platforms, or social media. 

Government officials will also never ask for money or bank details by phone calls, text messages or email. The public is advised to only trust messages from the gov.sg SMS sender ID. 

Individuals who are in doubt should verify at customs_feedback@customs.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799 to check. 

Scams should be reported to the police immediately at www.police.gov.sg/e-services/lodge-police-report. 

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chingshijie@asiaone.com