The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Thursday warned the public against “love scams” and fake parcel schemes, where fraudsters pose as foreign suitors and claim to have shipments supposedly held by customs to extort money.

BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said scammers typically build online relationships with victims—often Filipinas—before inventing stories about parcels containing valuable goods that are allegedly stuck under BOC custody.

“Meron kasing mga manloloko from abroad usually ito… manliligaw sila via online sa ating mga kababayang Filipina,” Nepomuceno said, noting that victims are later asked to send money to facilitate the supposed release of packages.

The BOC stressed that such claims are fraudulent and reiterated that all legitimate customs payments are coursed through authorized government banks.

Nepomuceno urged the public not to send money, especially through non-bank payment channels, which are commonly used in scams.

“Kapag kayo ay importer o exporter ang bayad niyo lagi sa Land Bank. Hindi pwede yung mga payment wallet o gateways. Dapat huwag silang mabola,” he said.

He also acknowledged that scammers exploit the agency’s reputation to make their schemes more believable.

“Madali kasi sisihin at pagbintangan ang customs dahil mababa yung trust rating sa customs. Ngayon nag-iimprove pero nasa negative territory pa rin, tanggap natin ‘yan,” Nepomuceno said.

The BOC encouraged the public to verify transactions directly with the agency and report suspicious activities to authorities.

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