US Customs and Border Protection experienced a sharp rise in reports about potential tariff evasion after President Donald Trump abruptly imposed new duties on over 100 countries earlier this year, according to data the agency shared with WIRED. From March through May, CBP’s official e-Allegations tipline received 542 complaints about alleged duty dodging, an almost 160 percent increase from the same three months in 2024.
Importers have long tried to evade tariffs and lower their costs by mislabeling the origin, value, and nature of the products they bring into the country. But the new data suggests that Trump’s policies may have pushed more firms to adopt these kinds of legally risky tactics. Over the same recent period, CBP fielded 242 tips about other types of potential violations, such as the import of counterfeit or unsafe items, an increase of just 42 percent. Submissions can be made anonymously, and trade experts say they often come from a company’s former employees or competitors.
Trade attorney Jennifer Diaz says her law firm files “tons of e-Allegations” on behalf of clients, and she has found that CBP often does take them seriously. It takes up to half a year for the agency to vet a claim, but the wait can be worth it. When CBP catches wrongdoing, it can “help level the playing field,” says Diaz, including by wiping out artificially low prices from a market.
