The Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association has just said that fraudulent tricks are continuing to take place sophisticatedly on a global scale. Recently, an exporter was impersonated by a partner with an address in Canada, LASSONDE INDUSTRIES INC, purchasing goods delivered to the port of destination in Uganda, documents delivered to the bank in the United States. After discovering the abnormality, the exporter realized that the set of documents delivered to the address was not from the bank and had been taken away. As a result, it is possible that the goods will be stolen by impostors when they arrive at the port.
This is an extremely unfortunate incident that the Association has continuously warned about after the incident of 5 cargo containers having their documents stolen in Dubai.
Agricultural products such as pepper and cashew nuts are often “victims” of fraud, because agricultural products are easy to break down for sale and difficult to trace their origin. Illustration photo: IT
To minimize risks when dealing with international customers, the Vietnam Pepper Association continuously recommends and recommends that exporters take many steps before trading: Verify partners; Bank verification; Request Vietnamese banks to help verify the sending address of documents with the partner bank before sending documents via DHL (parcel and document shipping service).
Strictly verify contract terms, including deposit requirements and safe payment methods, taking into account the risk level of the import market. In addition, it is necessary to improve international trade skills and expertise for the staff; Take advantage of support information systems from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Embassies/Trade Offices, Associations…
According to the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association, in the context of the world economic situation going into recession and the forecast for 2024 still shows no positive signs, the market has not recovered strongly, the market has not yet recovered strongly. Profits are decreasing due to high competition in the market… then cross-border cybercrime will become more and more common, sophisticated and complex.
To minimize damage and prevent risks that may occur in international trade transactions, the Association recommends: The first and foremost prerequisite for exporters is before making transactions. Translators must take all possible measures to verify relevant information about partners as suggested above.
“More than anyone else, if there is a risk, the exporters are the ones who have to bear the loss, so professional equipment and measures to prevent risks are never redundant” – Pepper and Spice Association affirmed. .
Previously, in July 2023, 5 containers of goods including: Pepper (2 lots), cashew nuts, cinnamon, and star anise worth 516,761 USD from 4 VPA member businesses were defrauded in Dubai (belonging to the United States). United Arab Emirates – UAE) when trading with the same partner.
Ms. Hoang Thi Lien – President of the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association said that thanks to the intervention of the authorities, 4 containers with a value of more than 400,000 USD have been recovered, but 1 container remains. The cargo container in Dubai has not been resolved yet.
Agricultural products easily become “victims” of scammers
According to the Asia-Africa Market Department, fraud in the Middle East market is now more common than before, mainly concentrated in small-scale commercial companies. The most common form of fraud today is that when foreign businesses sign sales contracts with Vietnamese companies, they often require TT payment terms (telegraphic transfer) or issue a check to the mortgage seller. These are the two forms with the most risk.
With post-payment, the buyer receives the goods and then pays the seller. Along with that is the form of issuing a check valid for a certain period of time and then handing it over to the mortgage seller.
This method has many risks such as the buyer issuing a check without money in the account, and the seller cannot go to the buyer’s bank to receive money because they do not have an identification card. The seller also cannot check the buyer’s account information because banks in some Middle Eastern countries do not provide customer information to third parties.
The Department of Trade Promotion notes that before transacting with partners, especially new partners or first-time transactions, Vietnamese enterprises need to contact the Trade Department and through different channels check whether the enterprise Does it really exist, how does it work… Illustrative photo: Nguyen Vy
At the Conference “Preventing fraud in international trade” held a few days ago, Ms. Tran Thu Quynh – Commercial Counselor, Vietnam Trade Office in Canada said that in recent times, commercial fraud cases have often occurred. Small scale but density increases very quickly. Although the Trade Office has repeatedly warned Vietnamese businesses through many different information channels, the number of fraud cases has not decreased. On average, the Vietnam Trade Office in Canada receives about 10 cases each month.
Ms. Quynh said that scammers actively approached Vietnamese businesses by sending messages and emails about their desire to sign large value orders. They are ready to provide the documents that Vietnamese companies require from business registration documents, tax payment papers, bank confirmation documents, all freshly stamped…
“The global market is difficult, orders have dropped a lot. Export businesses are urged to find orders, so when receiving orders from abroad, they have a subjective mentality,” Ms. Quynh shared.
According to the investigation of the authorities, recent fraud cases can occur in all items, from electronic devices, construction materials, household goods… However, agricultural products are often “victims”. “, because agricultural products are easy to break down for sale and difficult to trace their origin. After getting the goods, the scammers will immediately disperse and resell them to a third party.
In 2022, nearly 100 containers of cashew nuts worth $200 million exported to Italy were almost appropriated by scammers. Thanks to the drastic intervention of the authorities, both Vietnam and Italy, difficulties for businesses were promptly removed.
According to danviet.vn
