Received a tariff bill? Here's what you need to know to protect yourself

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- President Trump released 7 new tariff letters on social media, after signing an executive order on Monday to extend the pause on many other import duties to August 1st.

The new letters show a 30% tariff rate against Algeria, Iraq and Libya; 25% against Brunei and Moldova; and a 20% rate against the Philippines. Those tariffs are also expected to go into effect on August 1.

This comes as the President claims a near completion of a trade deal with the European Union and India, but he has yet to release more information on such a deal.

In the meantime, some people are receiving legitimate import bills for shipments, but beware - there are bogus bills out there, too.

"Tariffs and trade negotiations between the United States and other countries around the world are getting a lot of media attention right now and scammers are always looking for ways and new ways to separate you from your wallet," says Charles Moore, Chef of Security at cybersecurity company Aura.

He says some small businesses and consumers are also getting fraudulent demands from supposed shipping companies or government organizations to pay import taxes.

"Usually for for what they claim to be a package or shipment that's being held up due to new tariffs when the reality is, of course, it's actually just a scam," he says.

Security experts are also warning about fake websites and social media ads that promise thousands of dollars in monthly subsidies for things like rent, gas, and groceries, or hundreds of dollars in tariff relief credit.

The mission of these con artists is to get your personal information.

But there are some things you can do to protect yourself.

"First, always be skeptical of any unexpected email or text or even a phone call that comes from someone that's asking you for some type of a payment or for some kind of personal information," says Moore. "Second - verify, verify, verify."

He tells Action News to find the direct contact information for the alleged shipper, company, or government agency and ask if the request is legit.

You can also consider paying for a cybersecurity service like Aura. They'll monitor your accounts for breaches and provide security tools like a virtual private network or VPN.

Aura says it will also block scam texts, emails, and phone calls from even reaching you. The starting subscription is $10 a month.