A new wave of scam messages targeting people shopping on websites based outside the European Union is coming as criminals seek to exploit a significant rule change, the consumer watchdog has warned.
Under rules coming into force early next week, deliveries shipped from outside the EU that have a value of less than €150 will no longer be exempt from customs charges and a €3 fee will be applied to each unique item in an order.
The changes have been mandated at an EU level and while they were not supposed to come into effect until 2028, a decision was taken last December to fast-track the change, which will now apply from July 1st.
Irish consumers currently do not have to pay import duty on anything valued at less than €150 that is bought from outside the EU – including Britain.
However, as a result of the change the duty will be applied to each individual item in a delivery.
The move is likely to see the cost of some orders from Chinese-based websites such as Temu and Shein climb significantly but the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has said the changes will also see an increase in the level of criminal activity around online orders.
Texts from scammers posing as delivery services are common and with more deliveries set to be subject to customs charges, more consumers may be at risk of falling for scam payment links, the watchdog said.
“We saw a spike in scams when Brexit customs changes came in and we expect to see the same with these new changes,” the CCPC’s director of communications Gráinne Griffin said.
[ New EU customs charges could signal the end of cheap online shoppingOpens in new window ]
“Scammers will look to exploit the situation and use it as an opportunity for fraud. All online shoppers should be alert for scam texts and emails,” she said. She warned that all requests for payment that claim to be from Revenue “will definitely be a scam” and she pointed out that the charges “are never paid directly by consumers to the Revenue Commissioners”.
An Post has also advised that they will never send you a click through link to pay charges. Griffin said that as consumers we are “most vulnerable to scams when we’re busy or distracted. Treat any text about customs charges with extreme caution. Take your time and don’t rush into paying anything,” she said. “If you pay through a scam link, you’re handing your card details to scammers so you could lose much more than that first payment.”
The CCPC is also advising shoppers who hope to escape the charges by ordering before July 1st to pay close attention to delivery dates to avoid being hit with an unexpected bill.
It warned that online shoppers who buy now will be subject to the new charges if the package reaches Ireland after June 30th. “There is a very real risk that consumers may mistakenly think the changes apply to purchases made from July 1st,” Griffin said.
“This is not the case. Any package that reaches Ireland from midnight on June 30th will be subject to the new rules. It is important that online shoppers understand this and carefully check expected delivery dates when purchasing online.”