Further Tips On Dealing With China.

Here are a few extra notes on safely sourcing products in China, from the Safely Sourcing China blog. Learn what you can from your prospective ‘supplier’s’ website, or lack thereof.

Web Presence.

Firstly, if they don’t have their own website, drop them like a hot rock. That includes those “companies” in possession of the rubbish little “pages” on Alibaba, etc. No Domain – No Hope! Although, personally I do know of companies in China who are real, but their marketing sucks so badly they haven’t managed to organise a web presence. But, I’m a graduate of the ‘better-safe-than-sorry’ school, when it comes to this particular aspect of doing business in China. If your prospective “supplier” owns a website, then check that the area code, given in the contact section, matches the postcode, or town or city name, given in the address. You can check postcodes here. If they don’t match, drop them like a hot rock. The following mobile telephone prefixes will allow you to determine which mobile telephone network is being used by your “supplier”, in case you need to connect with the service provider, to check if the number is still working, when calls fail to be answered  by the person you’ve gone sent your money to, whilst failing to perform any of the checks given here. The service provider name follows the prefix number. 130/1/2 . - China Unicom, 133 . – China Telecom , 1340 -1348 – China Mobile, 1349. – ChinaSat, 135/6/7/8/9. - China Mobile, 150. – China Mobile, 151. – China Mobile, 152. - China Mobile, 153. -China Telecom, 155. – China Unicom, 156. – China Unicom, 157. – China Mobile, 158. -China Mobile, 159. – China Mobile, 185. - China Unicom, 186. – China Unicom, 188. – China Mobile, 189. – China Telecom. You can visit this very nice page on WikiPedia for a more complete listing of area codes by major municipality and province. If they don’t have an address on their contact page, forget them. After all, if they aren’t willing to disclose their address, then you must ask yourself a one word question – “Why?

”.

On The Subject Of Addresses.

My business is registered in a residential property, as we are a Small Office Home Office (SOHO), as we neither manufacture, store, stock, and we very rarely have business visitors; due to the fact we supply nothing more than ‘information’, we go out to visit Chinese companies, and our foreign clients are just that – foreign, and live abroad, and so we needn’t waste money on having an actual office. My computer is my office. However, someone claiming to manufacture, stock, or supply must have an office, for the same reasons I don’t need one. An office will normally be in a building with a name, for example: Room 602, Floor 5, Great Dragon Bldg., Haidian District, Beijing. Whilst a SOHO, like us, will run as above, but minus the building name, and is indicative of a residential area.

About Us.

If they haven’t included and about us page in their website, or it is very sparse, then drop them. Obviously, if they have little to say about themselves, there’s a reason.

Google Them.

The next thing to do is Google their company name + scam, and also their company URL + scam. That alone should give enough of a heads-up on who you’re dealing with.

Mono-Lingual Websites.

Finally, as mentioned in my previous article Quick Checklist For How To Spot A Chinese Scam Site, if the website is devoid of Chinese, and only has an English language page, the chances are they’re scammers. Well, that’s it for today. Trade Safely!

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Originally posted 2009-08-13 02:44:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Mr. Stefano Carboni Of eSources Seems To Have Been Somewhat Busy In The Scam Sector.

Isn’t fate a strange and flirtatious creature?

Here I am being ripped-off by Mr. Stefano Carboni, and his “Trade Portal” eSources; when I check out search terms on my blog and see that someone has arrived at my pages through a search in Google for the following string, “stefano carboni scam“.

I think to myself, “Hello, what’s this?“, and follow the link to the Google search page where I find a number of links connecting Mr. Carboni’s name to the word “scam“, and not in a very positive way. Actually, in a very negative way.

Interestingly the first two listings are mine. One I published on the RipOffReport website immediately after I lost my first money to him in April; and the other directing people to my previous eSources article in this blog.

Another Of Mr. Stefano Carboni's Sites.

The third link connected me to a site called UK Fraud Forum, where I found an article simply entitled “wholesaledeals.co.uk“. In which article an individual describes his or her attempts to get the goods for which they’d payed £ 476.80. This individual had tried to email the site, for support, backup, and information; however this was apparently nothing but a send message function, not a real email address, and so simply bounced back.

Additionally, no one answered the phone, as is also the case with eSources, where they provide a phone number to make the page look legitimate, but don’t “offer telephone support“. Meaning, absolutely nobody to talk to at any point in the event of anything going wrong.

This person, then got on to the police, their bank, and also the Trading Standards Office, but eventually got Mr. Carboni’s attention by ordering goods to the value of £ 30,000, but didn’t complete the payment schedule section.

By which point, it had now been three weeks that this individual had ordered their goods, without them having arrived, and had been unable to attract Mr. Carboni’s attention by any of the usual media.

Now, however it would seem, that since Mr. Carboni could see the potential of reaping a £ 30,000 windfall, as it flickered across his screen, or shot him off an email warning him of a failed transaction of  £ 30,000; within a mere hour of seeing this failed transaction notice, Mr. Carboni himself called the victim. Isn’t greed a wonderful motivator? Evidently, he hadn’t checked the details of this “client“, and wasn’t aware that he was in for a bit of an ear-bashing.

In the complainants own words, “it went on from there. a few excuses followed. delivery never turning up and another excuse, and on and on. they turned up in the end but some things were broken, items were of a cheaper nature then what i ordered. i definately will not use them again. one of the worst companies i have ever had to deal with.”

I think this individual was extremely lucky to even get these things. It’s quite possible that Mr. Carboni’s own greed for the possible £ 30,000 was behind this individual getting anything remotely resembling his or her actual order.

Another point to note is that the street address, as published on this website  is different from the eSources address; moreover, the complainant, in this particular case, did a little research, and discovered that the post code for the address given, was not actually in concord.  A fake address? They didn’t match. I haven’t confirmed this myself, but I’m quite interested to try the same with the eSources address. Although, I have recently been informed another victim of Mr. Carboni’s unusual business practices, that the address for the eSources business is merely a postal address, and the business doesn’t reside there in actuality. Indeed, this former victim is in doubt as to whether Mr. Carboni’s business enterprises are actually located in the UK.

Why not publish a real address? What’s he got to hide?

So, what do we have here?

We have faulty addresses, no phone, no proper email service, failure to deliver, and only contacting the client in the hopes of getting his hands on £ 30,000.

Another interesting connection to Mr. Carboni is to be found on the following link to a page on Data Wales’ website entitled:

“The fake job offer fraud. They promise a percentage, but you would lose money (and possibly your liberty). The checks they send are forged!”

Where they list the following, “Stefano Carboni, eSources UK, esources.co.uk, 27 Old Gloucester Street London  WC1N 3XX, st.carboni@yahoo.com.hk.” as being an alleged perpetrator of such an email scam or fraud.

It’s interesting to note that, Mr. Carboni doesn’t use his eSources email address, as one would expect from a respectable business person, but uses  instead a Yahoo, Hong Kong email address.

Why is that I wonder? Something to hide perhaps?

Moving on, I next find Mr. Carboni’s name connected to the Antifraud International website, where his name is listed at Number 286 on the Representative Fake Cheque Scam (RFCS) page.

Sprinting on, we next find Mr. Carboni’s name mentioned on the Scam Baiter website in connection with the RFCS cited above; and again on the 419 Scam site, and on.

So, it certainly seems that Mr. Carboni has a history of fraud and scamming; unless he has been the victim of identity theft himself?

Check it out for yourself at Google.

If you have had any problems of this kind with either of Mr. Carboni’s websites, please email your details to me. Thank you!

Keep you posted!

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Originally posted 2009-08-13 01:05:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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China Scam – Money Mules – And Why You Will Never See Your Money Again.

I’d like to point out to you, in very clear and marked terms, just why it is you will never see your money again, should you happen to lose to a scam in China; particularly those of you who lose money to companies whilst trying to buy iPhones, Nintendo, etc. Last week, I wrote about Mr. Stefano Carboni’s apparent involvement in the money mule scam; that is, getting other people to transfer funds through their personal bank accounts, as a means of laundering it to a final destination. Then only this week, I discover, through certain of my contacts here in China, the reason you won’t ever see your money again is based on similar grounds. Here is how it works: There are approximately 300 million agricultural workers in China, and approximately 40 million migrant workers travelling from city to city in attempts to find some kind of living. So, no shortage of potential mules! A quick review of salaries in China may provide you with a glimpse at the motivation behind the actions I’m about to describe.

A Chinese Farmer

In 2007 the average farmer in China earned around 4,140 RMB (Yuan) or approximately $605 USD per annum; the average salary for a construction worker in China is approximately 1, 064 RMB (Yuan) or $122 USD per month; whilst the average factory worker is earning around 1,100 RMB (Yuan) or $ 160 USD per month. As can be seen, by the above figures, the 300 million farmers in the agricultural sector earn less than 30% of what construction and factory workers can earn in a year. This fact is widely known in China, and it is to this sector of the community that the scammers go with their offer. So, what is their offer? It’s very simple, actually. They say to the peasant farmer, something along the lines of, “Look we have all these foreign clients, but we don’t want to pay tax and stuff, and so we need an alternative account for the funds to be transferred to, as a means of avoiding the tax. You open a bank account for us using your ID, our foreign clients transfer funds to it, and then move the funds on to another account, the details of which we’ll give you (usually Taiwan); and we’ll pay you a nice fat commission, and you and your family will be much better off. Your child will be able to go to a better school, and then on to university, and the whole future of your family will be changed for the better – forever.” Of course, from Taiwan, the money is then transferred to other destinations. So, the peasant, knowing a good thing when he or she sees or hears one; and who is always willing to make extra money for the family, says, “HaoDe!” or “HaoLe!” (Good! or Fine with me!). I mean, why wouldn’t they? People in the West do exactly this when they get involved in fake cheque scams, and act as money mules for a variety of mafias. In actuality, the Chinese peasant farmer, quite probably has a better excuse than the greedy money-grabbing buggers in the West, who regularly sign up for this kind of business, as their lifestyles are a millennia apart, and is clearly documented and attested by many more than myself. So, personally speaking, I can’t really blame them; you make your own decision on that. Anyway, of course, eventually the whole thing gets tumbled, and the account closes, and the scammers recruit another peasant farmer, and start the whole operation again, with barely a blip in their action. The previous peasant farmer account holder is questioned by the police, and the police learn nothing, as the peasant farmer was him or herself duped anyway, and has absolutely no idea of the true identities of the people they’ve been dealing with. And, naturally, a physical description isn’t going to help much. I understand that to many foreigners, everyone may look the same here, but, that isn’t true, of course. People here do have very distinct personal physical attributes. However, without wishing to sound racist, and by sticking to reality, whether it pleases us to do so or not, the general physical characteristics are certainly much of a muchness; in as much as hair, skin, and eye colour, or whether he or she looked like an East European, had a certain Latino appearance, or shocking red hair and green eyes. I mean, can you imagine the interrogation of the peasant? Policeman 1: So, what did this man look like? Peasant: Well, he was maybe 30 years old, about 5 feet 6 inches, had short black hair, yellow skin, slanted dark brown eyes, and a wide or flat nose. Policeman 1: O.K., So we can rule out all the women and men under 30 years of age in the country. That just leaves the rest of the population. Hold on! What Kind of accent did he have? Peasant: He sounded like he came from Henan Province to me. Policeman 1: Ah ha! From Henan you say. Well, that’s a lucky break for us, as there are only 100 million people in Henan. So, if we discount all the women, that brings us to about 70 million males. O.K. that’s god, that’s good… Then we discount those under 30 years of age. and those above 40 years of age… Let me see… Yes…, that leaves us with only… Great Scott! Only 21,000,000 men to search through; By George! We’re on to them now. You can tell Mr. Stupid Bugger in England, that we’ll soon have his $300 dollars back for him. Policeman 2: But, Sir. What if the perpetrator doesn’t live in Henan anymore, and is living… well… …somewhere else in China? Policeman 1: Damn it, Caruthers, you’re right! Stop that telegram to Mr. Stupid bugger in England. Now, (He paces the room thoughtfully, clenched fist, arms folded and thumb to top teeth, looking into nothingness on the floor before him) Mmmm… yes… Yes, this really puts the cat amongst the pigeons. I think this may take a little longer than I at first thought. And that’s it basically.

A Submarine In Your Bathtub

That’s why, if you lose your money here, the chances of you  ever seeing it again, are about the same as you taking a bath, and a nuclear submarine surfacing in it, raking you with machine-gun fire, stealing your rubber duck, submerging, and then going back to base for debriefing, a plate of hot and crispy cod and chips (fries) with brown sauce, washed down with a warm cup of  hot cocoa, and all before bed-time. Now, if you’re sensible, then you’ll go back to the OLD FASHIONED WAY of doing things, and hire an agent, like me, to protect your interests, and to ensure that you don’t find yourself taking a bath with a submarine. The choice is yours. You’ve been warned. Again! Safe Trading!

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Originally posted 2009-08-13 04:05:42. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Your China Trading Partner, Beijing, have recently added a new open forum to their website on www.yourchinatradingpartner.com, offering a wide variety of interactive news, advice, and views on how to go about  trading safely with China, whilst offering the public a place to air their own views on China trading.

Your China Trading Partner Forum For News, Advice, and Views on How to Trade Safely with China.

There are a growing number of people complaining of having lost money in their China trade dealings; but Your China Trading Partner are offering this free service in an attempt to counter and minimise risk for entrepreneurs, small and medium businesses, by giving them the chance to air their views, opinions, and experiences, whilst at the same time reading enlightening articles on the subject of trade with China, written by the owner Mr. Ken Stone, who has now been a working resident of China since 2001.

Membership is free and you can choose to be emailed and kept up-to-date with forum segments which you find of specific interest.

Originally posted 2009-08-13 03:25:12. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Parallel or Grey Importing & China

Firstly, with regards to a basic explanation of Parallel  or Grey Importing, and the scam effect, allow me to direct you to an article of mine which discusses this matter in the Scams & Scammers Category of my blog; the article is entitled “Games Consoles & XBOX in China” I assume you’ve been and read it, and have now come back to continue. So let’s get to my point. Every region has its’ own official distributor(s) who are licensed and engaged to distribute for the producer into a given region. That means, that even if you were to contact the relevant distributor for the Chinese market, that distributor would not allow me to purchase from him/her with the foreknowledge that you planned on having them shipped out of China, for fear of losing that very valuable license.

Parallel or Grey Importing - Worth the Risk?

Even if they took that risk you’d only get them at wholesale in China, and by the time you’d payed for shipping, you’d probably have them held-up at customs at your end, or even impounded or confiscated, as companies are now on the march, with government assistance, to batten down the hatches on parallel or grey importing; as is evidenced by the rate at which these actions are now taking place in EU ports. However, I don’t believe a genuine distributor would allow you to do that in the first instance. Not for a heart-beat. But that, in and of itself, isn’t the major issue – there’s more. If he/she did agree, particularly with that foreknowledge, then you would have to suspect something dodgy was going; more dodgy than your request to the licensee to parallel or grey import these products into other regions of the world, not under his or her license mandate.

Want To Risk Your Money On Parallel Or Grey Imports?

As you are perhaps aware, or perhaps not, China has a problem, in that foreign mafia regularly send people into China masquerading as representatives of very large corporations such as the Apple and Sony Corporations, and many others. These people, then give product plans to their targeted Chinese companies and, after inspecting their factory, issue them with a fake license to produce and manufacture on behalf of these big names. The Chinese companies genuinely believe that they are licensed to do so, as these mafia are very good at there jobs and have a strong financial backing to support their claims. They’re professionals. They then go on to set up or give people (probably there own) “license” to act as “official distributors”. However, when once YOU buy these goods (because that’s what even many chain stores end up buying) and sell them on, your own prospective client may find, should a problem arise, that their product identification codes do not coincide with those on the company database, and will be left without warranty, on a product that is a clone; and so will be left without recourse, but to turn back to you, who would then look back to the “distributor or licensed agent“, who in turn would have to look back to the “licensed manufactory” here. ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT YOU, AND THEMSELVES, HAVE BEEN DUPED! And that is exactly what is happening, and, morally speaking – in terms of the duty we owe to our prospective buyers, I really think you’d be better off out of it. It’s a morass. It really isn’t a fun pool to swim in. There are, however, a lot of legitimate high quality, great design, top of the range, as it were, “no-name” OEM/ODM products available, which compare technologically very well with many of the “big brands”. Anecdotaly, I have a nice little Chinese made no-name 1 GB USB memory stick I bought here in Beijing, in a tech market, about two years ago. It’s great. I was shocked to discover one day that I’d had the thing in my pocket when my trousers went into a 3 cycle wash and spin.

That’s buggered then!

When hanging out my clothes to dry I discovered it with a yelp, thinking, “That’s buggered then”. I put in a shelf for a day or so, then picked it up and stuck it in my computer in the forlorn hope that it might just work. To my surprise, it opened up a window in the blink of an eye, as it usually did. In fact, a large number of clients have brought data on USB sticks with big brand names, and they all open slower than my little no-namer, which is Blitz fast. Anecdotes aside: My moral sense of what is right and wrong, in respect to the end user or buyer, baulks at the idea of even considering the potential risk to them as buyers, and to my personal sense of honour. Yes, some of still hold onto that old fashioned notion. Quaint, huh? For me, it has always been about the road I take, and not simply attaining the final destination, without due consideration as to how I get there. I have always wanted to arrive at, or achieve, my destinations and goals – whole, intact, and more of, NOT LESS than, a person than I when I started out on the journey or undertaking. International mafias are very pervasive and convincing. Not my cup of tea I’m afraid. The above mentioned scenarios are equally true for big brand apparel, trainers, cameras, and computers etc. “Welcome to the real.” Or…. not….

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Originally posted 2009-08-13 06:52:11. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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I was recently contacted by Eric Vermaas, the CEO of PT Team Wood (www.teamwood.org), a Dutch-Indonesian timber and furniture partnership based in Jakarta, to run a background check on an Import Export company based in Tianjin, China, and which had just placed an order for $915,000 USD in speciality wood furnishings. Fortunately, for Eric I just happened to be in Tianjin at the time, as I was visiting family for the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the two main traditional festivals along with Chinese New Year, and therefore checking them out was a fairly simple process for me. The Chinese company details are as follows: Tianjin Tanbo Import & Export Trade Co., Ltd., Address: 43 Nanjing Road, Heping District, 300350, Tianjin, China Web: www.sjzdingsheng.com.cn Tel: + 86 228 143 92 09 Fax: + 86 400 67 61 100 ext 1010 Email: heiyexingguang8@126.com, tanbo_2003@yeah.net Trade Manager: Chen Jinliang I quickly discovered that telephone number is not a land line, and is actually a mobile number known as a xiao ling tong, and which looks like a land-line number, can’t be easily traced, and is very cheap to buy. The fax number isn’t in Tianjin and seems to be out of town, and is perhaps a fax service somewhere, hence the extension number; quite probably a big room in a cheap building with a number of fax machines in it – linked to a PBX if the extension number is anything to go by. I visited the address provided on the website and discovered that it doesn’t actually exist. Basically the numbers on that street jump from number 35 to number 57 Nanjing Road, with nothing but an abandoned construction site between these two numbers, and therefore no sign of number 43. Of course, all of this seemed somewhat suspicious at best, particularly more so since I further determined that they allegedly scammed a businessperson from Europe out of 8,000 Euros on or about the 22nd or 23rd of September 2009 (you can find the details here), and have also placed large orders with several other companies, in one case up to $600,000 USD in value, and all since the 31st August 2009. I further discovered that Tianjin Tanbo Import & Export Trade Co., Ltd., also operate under the name of Hebei Dingsheng Import & Export Company, and have the same non-existent address. In consequence to all of the above I strongly advised PT Team Wood to have nothing whatsoever to do with this “company“. Tianjin Tanbo also failed to respond to my repeated phone calls or emails. Particularly when once they realised they had Chinese speakers, currently resident in China, on their tails. The only call we had, and which I instigated, was brief, and led to their prevarication and a lot of stuttering, particularly when I asked for their address, and they said it was the same as the website – to which I responded that I’d been to visit the location, and it didn’t exist. Whereupon they responded that they’d just recently moved. How convenient and how odd they’d forgotten to mention this when first asked, or even to update their website. Finally, I asked them to have a senior executive call me back, and have had no response in the three days since that call – and neither do I expect one.

The CEO Gift Scam Works in the Following Manner:

1. The scammer places a large order with you. 2. They then invite you to China to finalise the contract. 3. When you arrive, they will tell you that in traditional Chinese business culture you should buy the CEO a gift commensurate with his position. This in the case of the last person I found scammed by them was for gold bars worth 8,000 Euros. 4. After you have signed the contract and returned home, they then contact you again and tell you the contracts must be translated and stamped and sealed by a notary, and that the fee for this is 1,350 Euros or something of the type. 5. If you pay that then the next step would be for them to cease contact with you, as they are in no way interested in a purchase.

Gift-Giving In China

Gift-giving in China is common in business, but a bottle of wine or a treat from your own country is usually more than acceptable, and I know of no CEO who would expect me to buy them anything expensive. Moreover, since you are a foreigner you’re usually expected to be ignorant of gift-giving in China, and so are exempt from this. Most gifts between Chinese businessmen are cigarettes, Chinese white spirits (baijiu – a strong clear alcohol), or a good tea; certainly never in the form of gold bars, unless you have plans on bribing your way into a contract. In conclusion, and as a rule of thumb, you should never feel obliged to buy anybody any kind of gift in China during the pursuance of your business interactions. However, out of politeness, a small gift of not-too-great an expense from your own country or culture will be gratefully received and appreciated. Safe Trading!

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Originally posted 2009-10-07 22:50:26. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Drafter At Work (Model Used For This Image)

Just why won’t I source iPhones, XBoxes, and the like, from China?

Well, I’m going to keep this brief, and to the point, and use Microsoft™ and Apple™ as examples, since they’re really very commonly sought after brands. The Russian and other Caucasian mafias are very organised, and have a lot of funding behind them. Consequently, having a technician take a piece of equipment, such as an Xbox or iPhone, apart, and making technical drawings of the product, isn’t really a matter which presents them with any great difficulty. Having business cards made claiming they represent Microsoft™ or Apple™, presents them with equally as little difficulty. Printing headed paper for letters, and bonded paper for business production and distribution RIGHTS licences, for the purpose of confirming that a company is being granted the RIGHTS, to manufacture and distribute, the Xboxes and iPhones they manufacture, under that licence, is no problem either. Sending some men, and a beautiful female interpreter, to China to convince Chinese factory owners that they are genuinely being granted licences to manufacture and distribute “genuine Microsoft™ or Apple™” products, presents just as little difficulty. Of course, when once they arrive in China, and some small, medium to large electronics company, in central China, in the middle of nowhere, is paid a visit by the mighty Microsoft™ or Apple™ corporations’ representatives – then they are, of course, deeply humbled and just can’t believe their luck; whilst afterwards,  it takes them at least a fortnight to stop smiling at themselves, and they will never tire of boasting of their new connection with the mighty Microsoft™ or Apple™ corporations. After wining and dining their esteemed and honoured guests, they then find themselves being presented with the license to manufacture and distribute on behalf of these great names. It’s like being granted a license to print money! Within months their goods are being bought and sold in China, and then sent abroad to small buyers, purchasing through the internet, looking to make a buck by buying cheaply from China. Of course, the reality is that a genuine REGIONAL MANUFACTURER or DISTRIBUTOR, would never dare risk losing their license by selling outside of their geographically acknowledge sales region. Meanwhile, the Chinese manager producing the goods, hasn’t the slightest idea that he’s producing fakes. He thinks it’s all real. After all, the people who came, where all foreign, white, big, wore expensive clothes, shoes, and watches, and stayed in the most expensive suites in the most expensive hotel in town. They even had business cards, letterheads, secret plans and technical drawings, and bonded licence paper, and a company seal. What is there to doubt? How could the factory owner possibly doubt them? And I bet this goes on in other countries such as India, Pakistan, and elsewhere. I suppose you can now see why I won’t touch named brands in China for the purposes of export. It simply isn’t worth the risk to me, my reputation, to you, or your clients. If you want the genuine goods, then speak to the OFFICIAL Microsoft™ or Apple™ DISTRIBUTOR (or whatever brand) for your particular geographic region. A quick visit to their websites should provide you with that information. Do yourself and your clients a favour. Why do you think you’re going to get them cheaper here? Safe Trading!

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Originally posted 2009-31-12 13:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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A Shockingly Interesting And Extremely Cautionary Tale From China.

Jamil Anderlini, in the Financial Times, published on July 27 2009, presented an article entitled “A cautionary tale from China“. Well, as you know I live and breathe in China, and so felt more than a little compelled to read the article. What I first noticed, after having read it, was how quiet the Chinese media had kept it – no surprises there I guess. My next thought was, how dumb the victim, one Mr. Klaus Hilligardt, had been by entrusting his personal life, money, and home, and more particularly his business into the hands of his chosen Chinese managers; not a particularly wise move, as you will discover as the story unfolds. The victim had his whole company stolen from under his very nose. I mean the guy didn’t even have absence from China as an excuse, as he was resident here for virtually all of the time preceding the eventual disappearance of his company. Victims aren’t made – they’re born! And this is a point I keep trying to make to those of you who read me here, and to those of you who email me in the hope that I can get your money back, and which you just kind-of gave away to someone on the other side of the planet. OOPS! Basically, the Chinese management team of this company, which runs all the major advertising hoardings in China, predominantly on the underground, and national rail lines, set up there own ghost company, which included a logo not unlike the actual company they worked for; the senior Chinese manager, then sold the rights to the new company to take all their clients, and establish themselves as the new market leaders, using money from the victim’s own company to do so, whilst still being paid a salary from the victim’s company – I MEAN, SHAME JUST HAS NOWHERE TO HIDE IT’S FACE IN SHAME!

Image Copyright Financial Times Newsaper Group

This is assault, battery, rape, and then being peed and shat on for extra measure, before being poked in the eye with a pointy stick, just when you thought it was all over. In the end, the German managers from the parent company flew over to China, and ran a raid with the police, on the offices, into which the Chinese management had barricaded themselves, before arresting them and hauling them of for intense questioning. Now, why am I telling you about this? Just because it happened in China? No! I’m telling you because the victim had several years of experience in Asian countries, but failed to learn the language, or the culture, and allowed himself to be walked up the garden path and given a damned good seeing to under the shady apple tree behind the garden shed. My point? Very simple. You need me. China has been my home for the past 8 years, and has been a better home to me than my native England, in many ways, and I am very grateful to her for that. But still, this is the Wild-East folks, and you greenhorns gotta watch out for Los Banditos Chino, because they can be pretty mean  Hombres to deal with. Safe Trading! Here’s a link to the original article for which you may have to sign up to a free membership to read: www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e4103832-7a87-11de-8c34-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1#

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Originally posted 2009-08-13 06:12:20. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Is Esources.co.uk Being Used As A Means Of Collecting Credit Card, And Personal Details Necessary For Identity Theft?

Here’s something new on the Esources scam trail. I happened to be reviewing the key words used by visitors coming to the blog this evening, and saw a particular string, which I followed, and which brought me to an excellent resource known as FraudWatchInternational.com, and under the section: Home > Fraud Education > Fake Jobs (Money Mules), I found a note on our old friend Stefano Carboni’s company, Esources.co.uk, entitled: Esources Limtited UK – Fake Job (Money Mule Scam).

What’s a “Money Mule”? I hear you asking.

Well, our splendid friends at WikiPedia provide us with a simple and concise explanation, or definition, of the term, as follows:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

A money mule is a person who transfers money and reships high value goods that have been fraudulently obtained in one country, usually via the internet, to another country, usually where the perpetrator of the fraud lives. The term money mule is formed by analogy with drug mules.

The need for money mules arises because while a criminal in a developing country can obtain the credit card numbers, bank account numbers, passwords and other financial details of a victim living in the first world via the internet through techniques such as malware and phishing, turning those details into money usable in the criminal’s own country can be difficult. Many businesses will refuse to transfer money or ship goods to certain countries where there is a high likelihood that the transaction is fraudulent. The criminal therefore recruits a money mule in the victim’s country who will receive money transfers and merchandise and resend them to the criminal in return for a commission.

I then came across the following site: http://www.banksafeonline.org.uk/moneymule_explained.html, where they present a lovely interactive graphic of how the scam works, and a very plain English overview of the scam in action, and include such warnings as:

“Remember that even if you have nothing to do with the actual extraction of funds from another person’s account, by allowing your account to be used to receive and transfer such funds, you will be acting illegally.”

Therefore, one might actually conclude that Mr. Carboni isn’t satisfied with swindling people out of their payments through his scam-site, esources.co.uk, but is actively attempting to engage people into placing themselves in a criminally damaging position, in the pursuance of satisfying his need to feed his greed, and his swindling addiction. I mentioned in an earlier article that similar letters from his company were lodged on file at www.data-wales.co.uk under the Representative Fake Cheque Scam.

www.banksafeonline.org.uk go on to explain the steps involved:

1. Fraudsters contact prospective victims with “job vacancy” adverts via spam emails, letters, newspaper job adverts, Internet chat rooms or job search web sites. Jobs are usually advertised as a “financial manager” and suggest that no special knowledge is required.
2. The fraudsters convince the victim to come and work for their fake “company”. Some fraudsters even ask mules to sign official-looking contracts of employment.
3. Once recruited, money mules will receive funds into their accounts. These funds will have been stolen by the fraudsters from another account that has been compromised.
4. Mules are then asked to take these funds out of their account and to forward them overseas (minus a commission payment) typically using a wire transfer service. Acting as a mule is an illegal activity. When caught, money mules often have their bank accounts suspended, containing *all* of their money.

Of course, having your bank account, and the assets therein frozen, will be the least of your worries; one would assume you’d be more worried about the possible prison time you may have to serve.

Certainly in Australia, the Australian Federal Police, as cited on the Australian Bankers Association website, state clearly that the penalty for being a Money Mule is up to a maximum of 20 years in prison; whilst in the US, according to the US Department of Justice, you could be facing a possible 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and up to five years of supervised release.

At the present moment, I am unable to furnish a penalty for the UK, but can state that it obviously is illegal, and that you will have your account, and assets frozen, you will be liable to repay the monies you earned, and perhaps more, to the actual victims, you will serve some time in prison, and you will carry both a criminal record, and shredded credit rating for the rest of your life.

So, this is no laughing matter, and Mr. Carboni seems to be entangled in this, along with his “company” Esources.co.uk, and quite possibly his alternative site Wholesaledeals.co.uk, by virtue of being under the ownership of the same individual.

Here is the extract from FraudWatchInternational, and the link to the page direct, and I’ll leave you to make your own opinions, and to draw further conclusions, as to the legality of the man and the “companies” he represents. Please, also take note that in the email, right at the beginning, the author states that Esources is a Ltd. company, but in actuality it is not registered as such in the UK.

“The following is an example email for this fake job, otherwise known as a money mule scam. Please forward all fake job emails to scams@fraudwatchinternational.com

Dear Sir/Ma.

Esources Limtited UK (http://www.esources.co.uk) is in search of a book-keeper/company representative in the U.S.A/CANADA. This project has been developed in a way not to affect your present job nor bring you any form of stress but in order to help take care of those extra costs while you work for us. Esources is a small company thats deals in whole sales of T-Shirts, Cardigans,Ladies Tops,Kids wear & Silver Jewellery . We offer exceptional customer service and quality at discounted prices!. Everything in our catalogue is priced in UK/US funds. You can check to see from our web-site.

Recently It came to my knowledge that there are a lot of lapses in
handling funds coming from our clients in the USA which come in forms of Cashiers checks,Company checks and Money Orders which are not readily cashable outside the United States. So we need someone in the U.S.A to work as our representative and assist us in processing the payments from our various clients which come in on a weekly,monthly and annual basis.This is why we decided to employ a representative over in theU.S.A to help us receive our payments at your contact address you shall be providing us,in order to process our payment from our clients.

All you need to do is receive these payments from our clients in the U.S.A get it cashed at your banking institution. You are entittled to(10% of each payment) that you process. After payment must have been cashed and deducted your working fee. You will send the remaining fund to us. Our payments will be issued out in your name as we will inform our clients to do. Therefore the following details would be needed: I would require you to send me an email with the following details:

1)Your Full Name:
2)Contact Address,City,State & Zipcode:
3)Home & Cell Phone number:
4)Age:
5)Occupation:
6)Sex(Male/Female):

Reply to: jeannettehintz@aol.com

We would forward these informations to one of our clients and they will start making payments to you as the company’s representative in the states . Once we have all your details in our records.We would notify you as soon we confirm that one of ourcleints is mailing payment across to you.

I await your urgent response.
Warmest Regards.
Jeannette Hintz.
Head Of Human Resources.
eSources.co.uk”.

Finally, look at that lovely line in the email, “We offer exceptional customer service and quality at discounted prices!”

What a load of rubbish! Obviously Mr. Carboni’s idea of “…exceptional customer service…“, doesn’t run as far as actually having an operating telephone, where customers can contact him, or his representatives; wherever he is, and wherever his “company” is, as all we have are mailing addresses, and a website! There is no physical presence, and no means of direct contact, other than email.

A parting thought: Might you be in danger of identity theft, if you’re paying for membership to either of Mr. Carboni’s websites. After all, you’re giving him a huge amount of personal information, not to mention your  credit card details. Just think about it for a moment.

Safe Trading!

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Originally posted 2009-08-13 01:40:20. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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How To Trade Safely With China.

You want to trade with China, but you don’t feel safe. So what’s new? Trading with China can be a very profitable way to do business, particularly for the small business or entrepreneur.

Beware Of The Dragon In The Machine!

However, the safety of your transaction, and the possibility that you may, sooner rather than later, be a victim of cyber-fraud should be something which worries you very much, as is evidenced by the rise of cyber-fraud between China and the west in recent years. This eventuality is evident all over the internet on BBs and trade-sites where people are lodging their impotent complaints of having lost to the cheats of China. There are, however, steps you can take to ensure the safety of your transactions, and to seriously mitigate your risk. The following information could help you save your investment, heartache, stress, and the personal shame and embarrassment – all of which will accompany such a loss. So, what does a Chinese scam look like? What form does it take? Well, before I go into this in any depth allow me to say that the majority of people out there attempting to trade with China seriously need to reconsider their approach in recognising or determining with whom they are dealing.

The Internet Is A Petrie Dish For Scammers!

The one thing all of us should be aware of, is that the internet is infested with scammers in the same way that a homeless dog is infested with fleas; it’s an electronic Petri dish which breeds scammers on a vast and multitudinous scale. Indeed, it would not be short of the mark to say that the internet is the most dangerous place to perform business. Therefore, the first thing you need to understand is that the people who are going to scam you are very savvy and clever, running highly organised schemes of mass deception, which have been carefully designed and implemented to trick and mislead you. These people are professionals at what they do. And their systems become more highly tuned with every successful scam, as they learn from their experience as they go along. Over the years I’ve read a lot of hard-luck stories written by victims and posted broadly across the internet. Sadly the majority of them leave me with a “Huh?” of disbelief at their naiveté. Here’s what the scammer knows:

1. There is always someone wanting products cheaply; even more so in the current financial climate.
2. “If you build it, he will come” If they build a website offering incredible prices, then people will visit.
3. If you like the incredible price you will email.
4. S/he knows that a little polite conversation on MSN will further reel you in.
5. They know and understand that the medium in which these frauds and deceptions take place is called the World Wide Web; and just like a real spider’s web, the spider (the scammer) patiently lies in wait for the flies (which is you).
6. S/he knows that the law of averages is on their side, and not on yours.
7. They know that they live in a hugely populous nation laden with heavy bureaucracy, and that chasing them up will be almost impossible for you.
8. They know that it is easy for them to disappear, and setup the same web of deceit again elsewhere.
9. They know and understand desperation.
10. Lastly, they know that you want something for nothing (or at least at a ridiculously cheap price) – and so they give you nothing for something.

All of the above gives them a massive sense of self-confidence, and which in itself, provides them with more backbone than you could imagine. Here’s what you know:

1. Wow! This is an incredible deal, I was really lucky to find this.
2. I can’t believe my luck.
3. You feel a little nervous about the deal, but you just have to take the risk, and so you convince yourself that it’ll be O.K.
4. You send the money, and then s/he stops communicating with you, or they begin to prevaricate, or even say they need extra money for your goods to clear Chinese customs.
5. You received a tracking number that doesn’t work.
6. You can’t believe what a complete and utter idiot you have been.
7. You think, “How did I not see this coming?”
8. You realise you did see it coming, but decided to ignore your own instinct because you thought that if it is real you will have found a great supplier at a great price.
9. You’ve lost your money!
10. You suffer a huge amount of personal pain, grief, humiliation, a deep sense of shame, and a sensation akin to having been raped.

You can save yourself a lot of heartache, misery, embarrassment, and personal shame by performing necessary Due Diligence before transferring any monies. Otherwise, you may just find you’ve given away a lot of money, with little effort, to a stranger you’ll never trace on your own.

Related Articles

• How Many Of You Have Had 419 Advance Fee Fraud Scams Sent To You? (ukscams.co.uk)
• The Rise Of Corporate Identity Fraud (techdirt.com)
• China scales down controversial web filtering plans (crunchgear.com)
• N.L. internet scammers sent to jail (cbc.ca)
• Celebrate National Consumer Protection Week by watching this tell-all video from a big-time scammer (seattlepi.com)
• Internet Scams, Identity Theft And (slideshare.net)
• Interview With a Convicted 419 Scammer (it.slashdot.org)
• Suckers Victims lost $9.3 billion to 419 scammers in 2009 (arstechnica.com)
• Art Scammers; Artists Use Caution! (niebruggestudio.com)
• How To Report Email Fraud & Spam To The Proper Authorities (makeuseof.com)
• China May Post Trade Deficit For March (benzinga.com)
• Watch out for Blog Marketing Scams (marketersdaily.com)

Originally posted 2009-08-13 04:32:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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