Customs recommends importers and exporters to strictly control their digital signatures

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Traders should use the service provided by Customs brokers to avoid the risk of their digital signatures being abused. Photo: N.Linh

During the past time, the General Department of Customs received and handled certain obstacles and violations arising from the securing and using of traders’ digital signatures. Some importers and exporters gave their digital signatures and accounts to access the VNACCS to Customs brokers or other organizations and individuals for making and transmitting declarations.

These digital signatures and accounts were not used for right purposes. For example, the digital signatures, accounts and information were abused for making Customs declarations for non-digital signature holders. This enabled some people to conduct illegal acts, resulting in risks of smuggling and commercial fraud.

In that context, the General Department of Customs recommends related import and export associated organizations, individuals and units to strictly control their digital signatures and accounts, not to give them to other organizations and individuals. Traders must be responsible for any violations relating to Customs declarations performed on the basis of their accounts and digital signatures.

It is necessary to update, amend and adjust information of users’ accounts to make Customs declarations on the Customs’ website (https://dknsd.customs.gov.vn/Pages/dn.aspx). The information consists of names of users’ accounts, telephone numbers, email addresses, ID numbers…The traders should not set passwords which are as the same as accounts or tax codes or telephone numbers so the passwords are easy to be found or guessed. The traders should periodically change their passwords and accounts and check the history of using their accounts.

In addition, a set of rules of managing staff and internal activities and detailed regulations of responsibilities should be developed so that no staff can use digital signatures, seals, accounts and information of traders without permission, creating no opportunities for other people to abuse the information. In case, traders’ digital signatures, accounts or information are abused for making Customs declarations, Customs should be informed in a timely manner for measures of prevention and investigation.

In case traders do not directly undertake Customs procedures, they should sign service contracts with Customs brokers (who meet conditions in terms of expertise, infrastructure and are under Customs management). The traders are able to search the list of Customs brokers on Customs websites.

The General Department of Customs recommends the traders not to use service supplied by non-Customs brokers in doing Customs procedures. When conducting Customs procedures through Customs brokers, the traders should request Customs brokers to use the digital signatures and stamps of the Customs brokers to perform Customs procedures as agreed in signed contracts. At the same time, recommending letters of right persons and right jobs should be issued and used in an appropriate way, so the situation of issuing too many letters and stamping invoices without actual transactions.

2 smuggling cases used the same Customs code

Customs brokers shall stricly implement the signing of contracts with their clients. They are encouraged to act on behalf of their clients on Customs declarations and other related invoices as stipulated. Simultaneously, the capacity of identifying clients and risks of violation should be raised.

Customs administration would apply strict measures of managing imports and exports to minimize risks of breaches when they have sufficient information and signs showing the fact that traders are performing Customs procedures via non-Customs brokers’ service or the traders give their accounts and digital signatures to other people for Customs declarations.