New Customs guidelines on disposal of seized goods will reduce online fraud — Carmudi

Carmudi Nigeria Ltd., an online car sales platform, has said that the new guidelines on disposal of seized and overtime vehicles by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) would reduce online fraud.

The Managing Director of the company, Mrs Amy Muoneke, made the assertion in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

The statement said it was a welcome relief when the customs service announced a new guideline aimed at making disposal of seized and overtime goods seamless and fraud-free from Feb. 17.

It said the new guidelines would checkmate irregularities relating to the past procedure of disposing goods and tackle the menace of fake online auctions by the fraudsters.

According to the statement, the new guidelines signed by the former retired Comptroller-General of Customs, retired Col. Hammed Ali, the NCS will advertise information on seized and overtime goods for disposal.

It noted that NCS would also advise their reserve prices in the media and on its official website only.

“One of such cyber scam is individuals posing as custom officials and defrauding people with the promise of getting them cars waiting to be auctioned by the NCS at cheap prices.

“Research shows that in Nigeria, over 1 million internet scams are successfully carried out but less than 10 out of 100 of these crimes are investigated and prosecuted.

“This figure increased by nearly 45 per cent since 2013 with the birth of e-commerce in Nigeria according to reports,’’ it said.

The statement also said that the internet had made the world a global village connecting over 3 billion people and making communications all around the world possible, easy and affordable.

It added that it had also opened windows of opportunities for businesses to cross boundaries and overcome the hurdles of distance.

“Unfortunately, the internet has also become a tool used by criminals to defraud people of their hard earned money,’’ it said.

According to the statement, the new guideline stipulated that interested buyers have to apply online, specifying items of interest to the committee on disposal.

It said that applications must be accompanied with an approved means of identification such as a National Identity Card, International Passport or Drivers’ License.

It added that a recent passport photograph scanned onto the dedicated portal on the website must also be accompanied with a means of identification.

The statement said that successful applicants would be required to make payment to accounts within 14 days of notification through designated banks at the area commands where the goods were domiciled.

It said that trust had always been a barrier when it comes to doing business online, especially buying goods or paying for services.

NAN reports that NCS on Feb. 17, approved a new procedure for the disposal of seized and overtime goods in its bid to address some of the perceived irregularities relating to the system, including fake online auctions.

The NCS has set up four committees to handle the disposal of these categories of goods. (NAN)