Customs and Shipping Fraud Whistleblower Cases

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. A False Claims Act whistleblower with information about customs fraud may be eligible to bring a qui tam lawsuit.

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, a successful qui tam whistleblowers can receive an award of between 15% and 30% of the amount recovered.

Contact An Experienced Whistleblower Attorney

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.