The Bureau of Customs (BOC) warned the public not to fall victim to spam and phishing e-mails supposedly from the agency.
This after the BOC received reports some brokers and traders had received spam or phishing e-mails allegedly sent by the agency.
Phishing e-mails, made to look like official messages, trick recipients to click on a malicious link. The recipients’ personal information is then obtained and the fraudsters use it for their nefarious purposes.
“The BOC strongly denies sending such e-mails and warns stakeholders to be extra cautious when they receive such e-mails,” the agency said in a statement.
The BOC advised stakeholders to orient their employees on how to recognize phishing attacks, know phishing risks and how to address such issues.
The agency also warned the public to be wary of e-mails that come from unrecognizable, unknown or unreliable sources, and to trust only websites with a lock icon or “https:” in its URL.
Recipients should refrain from responding to e-mails demanding personal or financial information.
To ensure an e-mail is legitimate, the BOC advised recipients to call the sender and verify the e-mail.