Ninja Van launches campaign to stop fraud in parcel deliveries

MANILA, Philippines (24 February 2021) — The sharp rise of e-commerce in the Philippines over the past year has also given rise to incidents of unexpected cash-on-delivery parcels. For the past six months, tech-enabled express logistics provider Ninja Van Philippines recorded over 200 reports of these incidents.

“We urge the public to be extra prudent in receiving parcels when they are not expecting anything, especially if there is payment involved. As a logistics provider, our riders only depend on the data provided on every parcel and would only collect money if the parcel states so,” said Martin Cu, country head of Ninja Van Philippines.

Ninja Van Philippines, together with other logistics providers, have been faced with the threat of fraudulent deliveries.

“It is imperative for us to protect not only our name, but also the general public who can fall prey to these unscrupulous scams,” said Cu.

The modus is pretty straightforward, an unscrupulous shipper sends out parcels to random unsuspecting individuals under the cash-on-delivery mode of payment. The unsuspecting recipients, thinking it might have been one of their orders online, would pay for the amount stated in the parcel only to find out that it is not something they were expecting, or worse, they didn’t order it at all.

Red Flags
The tech-enabled express logistics provider is stepping up its information drive across the region, including the Philippines, to help curb similar incidents from further happening.

  1. Check the label. Make sure that the parcel is addressed to you or someone who lives in
    the same household.
  2. Check your online purchases. If you are certain that you did not make any purchase, kindly refuse accepting the parcel. It will not be a cost on the delivery rider.
  3. Check the amount. If you are considering paying for the parcel, check the amount stated on the tag and if it actually states COD.
  4. Check the parcel. Every time you receive a parcel, make sure that it is properly sealed and there are no signs of tampering.
  5. Check the credibility of sellers. Place orders only with credible websites and sellers that have positive authentic reviews or from whom you have successfully transacted with in the past.

Ninja Van will be utilizing its assets on social media to spread awareness on how the public can prevent themselves from falling prey to this scheme.

What should you do if you mistakenly accepted and paid for a parcel? Ninja Van recommends the immediate filing of a complaint through their customer service numbers or email addresses. The process can take up to 11 working days as certain steps have to be undertaken to ensure the validity of claims and protect orders from legitimate businesses.

“Ninja Van prides itself on ensuring that the integrity of each and every parcel is intact from the moment it is sealed by the shipper up to the moment that it is opened by the recipient. While there are certain protocols in place to ensure that there are no illegal substances in these shipments, the company, in observance of the privacy of the stakeholders involved, cannot and will not open the parcels,” said Cu.

Internal Investigations
“Whenever a shipper is flagged, either for sending the wrong items or suspected fraudulent COD deliveries, they are immediately flagged in our system. We constantly monitor and conduct investigations on erring shippers to ensure that we are not being used for fraudulent activities,” said Cu.

Ninja Van adheres to stringent internal anti-fraud policies to ensure the safety and security of the public that it serves. But in the instance that a shipper is found to have engaged in fraudulent activities, the company discontinues providing service, cash collected under the cash-on-delivery mechanism is withheld, and refunds are issued to affected customers. The logistics provider also stepped up its requirements and background check on its shippers both here and abroad.

“There will always be people and organizations who will try to take advantage of the system and a logistics provider can only do so much. That is why we are stepping up our information drive so the public will know what to do and will not be victimized by these scams,” said Cu. “It is only with the cooperation of all stakeholders, especially the public, that we will be able to put a stop to this modus.”

Ninja Van urges the public to be extra prudent in receiving unexpected parcels, especially those that require payment. Persons who might have been victimized by the said scheme can reach out to the Ninja Van customer service team for assistance via email, support_ph@ninjavan.co, or through phone at (02) 82711501.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Patricia Baquiran
Public Relations Manager
patricia.baquiran@ninjavan.co
media@ninjavan.co
+63 920 973 5293

Published on 24 Feb 2021

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