DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) Sub-port of Dumaguete is relentlessly campaigning against online scams that victimize unknowing people through money transfer.
Dumaguete Customs Collector Fe LLuelyn Toring on Monday said they are scheduled to visit the northern towns and cities of Negros Oriental soon to check on couriers/money transfer businesses which these scams take place.
Toring and her staff had already visited these business establishments from Dumaguete City, all the way to the southernmost town, Basay.
She said the victims, usually women, fall prey to a modus operandi that involves persons, especially males, presenting themselves online as foreigners.
A scammer would befriend a woman online, and after several chats, the latter would fall prey to the former, becoming his girlfriend.
The scammer would then entice the woman by telling her that he was sending her expensive and branded perfumes, bags, clothes, and even flowers, among others, she said.
However, once the supposed package has been sent out through a courier, the scammer would now tell the woman that the BOC has withheld it until the necessary duties and taxes would have been paid.
The woman is now instructed to go to the courier of choice and pay a certain amount to a person unknown to her before she can receive the package, she said.
Once the victim has paid, she will make a follow-up with the sender, and will discover that he has suddenly disappeared, gone offline and can no longer be contacted or traced.
The victim would realize that she has been duped by the scammer upon verifying with the Customs office who would tell her that, Toring said.
This online scam has been going on since last year, she added.
“To contain this online scam, we had this activity earlier this month and we went from Dumaguete to Basay and had tarpaulins posted in the different couriers/money changer establishments,” said Toring.
Although these couriers are not directly involved in the online scam, Toring emphasized that these business establishments should cooperate with authorities by informing their clients about the online scam and giving a word of caution to their clients, such as asking them if they have personal knowledge of the person they are sending money to.
She said a number of women have already gone to her office to file a complaint but the Customs chief says these are all scams.
“The Bureau of Customs really do not accept payment through aning mga money transfer business (through these money transfer businesses) so adto gud na sa amoang servicing bank (and that should be at our servicing bank), the official servicing bank which is Land Bank of the Philippines,” Toring stressed. (Mary Judaline Partlow/PNA)
