Stakeholders in the import and freight forwarding circle have bemoaned the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) over the incessant scams of auctioning of vehicles that has rocked various social media platform in the country.
The operators also questioned the service for its inability to unable to upload information about customs on a daily basis.
According to them, lack of information by the customs to the public made many to fall victim to the fraudsters, especially on vehicle auctions
Stakeholders in the import and freight forwarding circle have bemoaned the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) over the incessant scams of auctioning of vehicles that has rocked various social media platform in the country.
The operators also questioned the service for its inability to unable to upload information about customs on a daily basis.
According to them, lack of information by the customs to the public made many to fall victim to the fraudsters, especially on vehicle auctions
Apart from vehicle auction, they also urged the head, Public Relations unit of the Nigeria Customs Service to constantly dish out information to help inform the public about happening of the service.
A cross section of the operators who spoke with Auto Port Weekly lamented that the customs has failed the masses because they choose not to release information as at when due to the public.
Auto Port Weekly gathered that the last information posted on the customs website was dated July 27th 2014, even as there has been series of events about the service.
But speaking with our correspondent, in Lagos Port a stakeholder; Pius David called on customs to upload its site with relevant information especially about auctioning of vehicles, even as he alleged that the customs website is never active.
According to him, information to the public will serve as a preventative measures against cyber crime where fraudsters use social media to defraud innocent Nigerians.
He said many Nigerians have paid monies into unscrupulous bank accounts all in the name of buying exotic cars that never exist.
Speaking further, he stressed that "before anybody could pick interest in buying any auction vehicle from the customs, he is expected to check their website to confirm whether it is real or not, but going to the site, there is no information that can guide the buyer and we all know that on line shopping is commonly accepted by us all and as a result most of the buyers who are willing to get auction vehicles fall prey to the fraudster".
Confirmation from customs site will help the buyers not to fall prey to scammers, he stated, calling on the service to revitalise the National Public Relations Department of the Nigeria Customs Service.
"If customs has failed to upload information on their website as regards auction of vehicles, which is common on social media, then I think they should be berated for it because they fail to do the needful"
On his part, a freight agent Mr. Francis Alamere said that " my cousin also fell prey to the fraudster recently on customs auction of vehicle if not for the timely intervention from a customs friend who told us to ignore such scam.
He pleaded for customs to create a platform on its website indicating events and present activities about the service.
He also affirmed that the customs website is not effective adding that there is the need to make the site active and attractive,
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