Post by : Meena
Hassan
Singapore Customs has issued a warning regarding two emerging scam methods that are deceiving individuals through fraudulent parcel alerts and counterfeit official documents.
In the first tactic, victims receive messages suggesting their parcels are being held due to compliance concerns. These correspondences are paired with bogus inspection notices that mimic those from high-ranking officials. Recipients are pressured to attend an inspection or remit a “verification fee” to avoid delays. The con artists then coax victims into filling out a fake inspection agreement intended to gather personal and banking data.
As the deadline nears, the scammers ramp up their intimidation tactics by issuing threats of legal repercussions and attempts to bring authorities into the matter if the fee is unpaid. Several victims who sought clarification learned they were approached via numbers registered outside of Singapore, indicating a well-coordinated cross-border effort.
A second variant of the scam involves false notifications indicating that valuable items registered under the victims’ names are being detained. To enhance credibility, the perpetrators provide photographs of the items along with forged documents that resemble legitimate Customs records. Victims are coerced with threats of item seizure, monetary fines, or bans on future shipments unless they make instantaneous payments.
Singapore Customs emphasized that it never requires payment for parcel releases and all legitimate communication is conducted through verified governmental channels. The agency noted that such scams undermine public trust and urged citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious incidents.
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