U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Norfolk, Va., have seized 1,818 automotive radiators that were brought into the country from China under stolen identities, according to CBP. The three shipments bore the Reach and CarQuest names and were valued at $206,513, the agency said.
Officers first inspected the automotive radiators between July 21 and Aug. 14, after the shipments arrived from China, CBP said. Officers found inconsistencies in the import and identification paperwork, held the shipments, and asked the brokers for more documentation.
They then tracked down the people listed as importers of record on each shipment. Each one said they had not placed the order and did not run a business that imports goods.
The seizures took place on Sept. 15, Sept. 18, and Sept. 22 under 18 U.S. Code Section 542, the federal statute titled "Entry of goods by means of false statements." The radiators were bound for addresses in Los Angeles; Tempe, Ariz.; and Loveland, Colo., and investigations are ongoing, the agency said.
Why stolen identities are used
Operators behind this type of fraud use identities taken from legitimate people or businesses and set up shell companies to move goods across the border illegally, with the goal of avoiding tariffs or bringing in contraband, according to CBP.
"Identity theft in commercial imports is a growing concern for Customs and Border Protection and for legitimate businesses, because bad actors are using stolen individual or business identities to smuggle illicit cargo, steal import shipments, or to evade paying customs duties," said Keri Brady, area port director for the CBP Area Port of Norfolk-Newport News, in the release. "CBP will continue to combat transnational crime by intercepting these illicit shipments and working with our law enforcement partners to hold bad actors accountable."
Earlier radiator case at the port
In late August, Norfolk officers seized a shipment of 1,043 automotive radiators headed for Cheyenne, Wyo. Bad actors tried to bring those radiators in under an identity stolen from a victim, the agency said. That shipment was declared at $5,775, and CBP's Center of Excellence and Expertise valued the radiators at $110,176. Officers also seized a separate shipment of 420 dehumidifiers imported under another victim's stolen identity.
Combined, the late-August and September seizures total 2,861 radiators valued at $316,689, based on figures in the two CBP releases.
