Most commodity scams follow a handful of patterns: advance fees for goods that do not exist, forged inspection reports and bills of lading, emails that change the seller's bank details, and cloned websites of real companies. Each one can be caught with independent checks: confirm documents with the issuer, confirm bank details by phone, and never pay in full before cargo is shipped and verified.
This guide describes the scams buyers of palm oil and rubber meet most often and how to verify a seller. It supports our wider guide on buying commodities from West Africa.
1. Advance-fee offers
How it works: the "seller" offers large volumes at an attractive price. Before shipment, the buyer is asked to pay for an export licence, a "product registration", insurance, a port fee or legal documents. After payment, another fee appears, then another. There is no cargo.
Signs: price below market, huge volumes, fees before a contract, pressure to act fast.
Check: legitimate sellers do not charge buyers to obtain their own export paperwork. Pay only against shipping documents.
2. Forged inspection certificates
How it works: the seller sends a certificate from a well-known surveyor showing perfect results. The certificate is forged, or real but for a different cargo.
Check: find the surveyor's office contact yourself, from its official website. Send the certificate number and ask the office to confirm the cargo and results. See inspection and certificates of analysis.
3. Fake bills of lading
How it works: a bill of lading is produced for a vessel or container that does not exist, or that is carrying something else.
Check: verify the bill of lading and container numbers with the shipping line, using the line's own tracking or office. Check that the vessel was in the load port on the stated date.
4. Changed bank details
How it works: a criminal gains access to the seller's or buyer's email, watches the deal, then sends a convincing message that the bank account has changed. The buyer pays the criminal.
Check: confirm any new or changed bank details by phone, using a number you already had, before paying. Treat any change request near payment as suspect.
5. Cloned companies
How it works: scammers copy a real company's name, logo and registration details onto a new website and email domain.
Check: compare the domain with the registered company's real domain. Call the company on a number from an independent source and ask whether the person you are dealing with works there.
6. Sample switch
How it works: the sample is excellent, the cargo is not. This can be fraud or poor control.
Check: a pre-shipment inspection of the actual cargo by an independent surveyor, named in the contract.
How to verify a seller
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| Registry | Check the company in the official business registry yourself |
| Address | Confirm the office exists, by visit or through a trusted local contact |
| Domain | Check the email domain matches the company's established website |
| Track record | Ask for redacted past bills of lading and check them with the lines |
| References | Contact past buyers whose details you find independently |
| Bank | Account in the company's own name and country of operation |
| People | Speak by video or in person to the managers who will run the contract |
Payment terms that protect you
Scams depend on getting money before goods. Payment terms that release money only against verified shipping documents, such as a letter of credit or cash against documents, remove most of that risk. See payment terms: LC, CAD and TT.
A genuine seller may ask for a deposit on a first order. Keep it small, tied to a signed contract, and paid to a verified account.
Verifying us
We expect buyers to check us. Moril Trading Enterprise Inc. is registered in Liberia (business registration number 053565514) and the Netherlands, with an office at the Blue Diamond Building, Tubman Boulevard, Sinkor, Monrovia. Our only email domain is moriltrading.com. We never change bank details by email. If you receive a message claiming to be from us that asks for payment to a new account, call us on a number listed on this website before acting.
Our sales contract checklist covers the clauses that protect you if a genuine seller fails to perform.