Finnish Customs investigates online shopping fraud and tax evasion

Finnish Customs has launched a preliminary investigation into the systematic misuse of the Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) system, which has resulted in estimated tax losses of several million euros for Finland and the EU. The investigation focuses on low-value shipments from outside the EU, primarily from China, where goods are being declared with significantly undervalued prices or incorrect contents to evade VAT.

In addition to tax evasion, authorities are warning consumers about fraudulent online stores. These shops often use social media to advertise products like furniture, but instead of the ordered items, they ship worthless small objects or nothing at all. Some websites use Finnish language to mislead customers into believing the products are domestic or from within the EU, when they are actually shipped from abroad.

Customs officials state that while they will contact individuals who made certain purchases to request more information, these customers are not suspects in the crimes. Consumers are advised to verify the reliability of online stores by checking for contact information, reading reviews, and being cautious of offers that seem too good to be true.