Customs and Shipping Fraud

When importing goods into the United States, individuals and companies often have to pay government-imposed tariffs or customs duties on these goods. Attempts to avoid paying duties or tariffs may be fraud against the government.  Whistleblowers with information about customs fraud may be eligible to bring a qui tam lawsuit under the False Claims Act.

Types of Customs and Shipping Fraud

Some of the most common types of customs and shipping fraud include the following:

• Falsifying the weight of goods being transported
• Misrepresenting the type of goods being transported
• Falsifying the monetary value of transported goods
• Shipping goods through another country to avoid paying higher customs duties (often referred to as “trans-shipping”)
• Falsifying country-of-origin information to avoid anti-dumping duties

If you have information that a company or individual is engaged in customs fraud, you can blow the whistle through a qui tam lawsuit.  Under the False Claims Act, successful qui tam whistleblowers can receive an award of between 15% and 30% of the amount recovered.

Contact Us

If you have information about customs fraud, you may be able to file a Qui Tam lawsuit under the federal False Claims Act. To discuss the specifics of your case, contact the Qui Tam attorneys of Tycko & Zavareei LLP today at 202-973-0900.