BOC warns public on another scam artist

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) reminded the public to always make sure that they are dealing with legitimate officials and social media platform after another receiving reports of another scam artist using the photos of a BOC employee at Facebook to defraud unsuspecting victims.

The agency, in particular, is referring to the FB account of one ‘Rachel Macaraeg Sebastian.’

“This is to inform the public that the named individual is neither affiliated nor connected with the Bureau of Customs,” the BOC statement reads, adding:

“We would like to remind the public of the following:

“1. The Bureau of Customs does NOT collect payments for customs duties and taxes via personal bank accounts or money remittances/transfers.

“2. BOC officials, including the BOC Customer Assistance and Response Services, do NOT directly communicate via phone call, text message, or email with parcel recipient/s to inform them that their parcel has been held and that a certain amount of money should be paid via bank deposit or money transfer for their parcel to be released.

“To verify the credibility of the person contacting you on behalf of the BOC, you may contact us at 8705-6000 or through our official social media pages.”