How it works: Goods are routed through third countries—especially Southeast Asian nations like Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia—to disguise their Chinese origin and avoid tariffs. Products are briefly processed or repackaged to create the appearance of local manufacturing, then exported to the U.S. with fraudulent country-of-origin labels.

How it works: Importers declare goods at a fraction of their real value to reduce duty payments. This is accomplished through falsified invoices, collusion between foreign exporters and U.S. importers, or sophisticated shell-company schemes that obscure true transaction prices. The lower the declared value, the lower the tariff owed.

How it works: Importers deliberately use incorrect Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes to qualify for lower tariff rates. By misrepresenting what a product is—for example, classifying finished goods as raw materials or industrial equipment as consumer items—cheaters exploit the complexity of the tariff code system to pay less duty than legally owed.