FBR Disables Manual Auction Entry Module in WEBOC Amid Misuse Concerns
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has deactivated a key component of its Web-Based One Customs (WEBOC) system following the discovery of irregular activity related to the manual entry of auction vehicle data.
The module, previously used for entering auction details manually, was suspended after officials uncovered misuse of authorized user credentials. According to official communication, the Directorate General of Reforms and Automation at Customs House Karachi was alerted to suspicious data entry activity associated with the user IDs of Assistant Collector (AC) and Deputy Collector (DC) Auctions.
An internal investigation found that three user accounts were created without proper oversight by MIS officers at different customs offices. These accounts were later used to input data for a total of 55 auctioned vehicles without following standard authorization protocols.
For example, user IDs under the names Zeeshan (CUS-3540517) and Yousuf Khan (CUS-3135725) were created by the Directorate of IOCO, Lahore, and remained active from April 21 to July 8, 2025. Meanwhile, another account, Waqas Khattak (CUS-2914393), was created on February 26, 2025, in Faisalabad and used for similar data entries.
Notably, many of these auctioned vehicles were listed under MCC Appraisement West, Karachi, raising concerns over jurisdictional irregularities and procedural lapses.
Further analysis revealed that over 1,800 auctioned vehicles were entered into the system through the now-disabled manual module, highlighting the potential scale of the issue.
In response, the FBR has disabled the manual data entry function within the WEBOC auction module to prevent any further unauthorized access. A thorough data verification and internal review is currently underway.
To strengthen oversight and improve transparency, the Directorate of Reforms and Automation has recommended that all Customs Collectorates transition to the newly developed E-Auction Module. This system is designed to reduce human intervention, enhance data security, and maintain a digital audit trail of all auction-related activities.
Until full verification and a system upgrade are completed, the manual auction data entry feature will remain suspended.
This development marks a step toward improving digital governance in Pakistan’s customs operations, with the aim of ensuring transparency and accountability across the board.
