Customer From Nigeria!

[geester]

I have a situation where I have been contacted by a Nigerian company who want my product, I have heard aboutt he Nigerian scams, so what is the best way in which I can protect myself and my business from a scam.

What payment terms would you ask for? Is a BACs transfer safer?

 

[Billmccallum]

Speak directly to your bank manager, find out which is the best method and how long it should be in the bank before it is 100% safe, then supply the products when the funds are clear.

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

Take a few steps to verify that the order is real before you talk to the bank manager. Send a few emails, ask a few questions, and gague the responses first.

 

[Liz Broomfield]

I would also make it clear that you need to be paid in pounds sterling or american dollars (you can even leave off the dollars) as it's been my experience that my Nigerian customer based in the UK wanted to set up arrangements paid in their own currency (which I believe is quite unstable).

 

[sinclairsea]

Trouble is there are genuine Nigerian businesses out there but its the constant scamming from the others that damm the country from trading. Most UK businesses will not trade with them, and the last blue chip company I worked for banned them indefinitely.


Like others have said, research them (if possible) and send emails....you never now, they may be genuine and it could work out well

 

[Archil]

My advice is not to deal at all with Nigeria. I'm sure all these business offers we receive everyday by email from Nigerian companies are scams!

But if u still decide to deal with them, ask to your country's embassy in Nigeria if this company really exists. And if yes, ask the company to transfer u 100% money first and send them the goods afterwords.

 

[Deleted member 59730]

ASk 1st aboit payment method. A suitcase full of pound notes in advance is best. Never accept cheques unless you know who they are from.

I did many successful assignments for Nigerian companies and got paid every time. The only one that never got off the ground because they couldn't transfer the money was the Ministry of Finance!

 

[Mike W]

Like others have said, research them (if possible)

And if researching them isn't possible or anything doesn't stack up, avoid them like the plague.

As sinclairsea says, there are doubtlessly some genuine Nigerian businesses out there but unfortunately some of their fellow citizens have killed integrity and trust for them all.

Personally, wouldn't touch any Nigerian now with a barge pole. Not worth the time and effort. Every single dealing I've had with them has turned out to be fake ....even the ex-Foreign Minister who was transferring $10 million dollars to me. If you can't trust him, who can you trust?

 

[sonnas]

have a look at http://www.419eater.com/ for some stories on how Nigeria scammers work.

and how people got even.

 

[bdw]

Rearrange the following well known phrase or expression ...

"Touch a not do bargepole with"

It's not worth taking the chance and while I appreciate that there are genuine businesses in Nigeria virtually ALL of my enquiries from there have been from scam attempts. If this is damaging their business and economy then their government needs to do something about it and they don't appear to see it as a priority.

.

 

[Wowgiftchina]

Simple way.100%TT before shipment.

 

[Deleted member 59730]

Due to high international oil prices, Nigeria's import trade is able to balance export [COLOR=#640000 ! important][COLOR=#640000 ! important]revenue[/COLOR][/COLOR]. According to the 2009 figures, the country's imports grossed over US$42.1 billion. Machinery, heavy equipments, consumer goods and food products are the major imports. A large portion of the imports arrive from the EU, particularly the Netherlands, the UK, France and Germany. China, the US and South Korea are also major import trade partners.

Looks like its a big customer to ignore.

 

[bdw]

Looks like its a big customer to ignore.

I think I can live without their business.

.

 

[Tbozz]

I was originally from Nigeria and still visit the country annually for winter-sun break.

For every genuine business in Nigeria there are about 10 or more scammers whose activities gave the country a bad image.
Although all the oil, gas and mobile communication companies still scramble for a piece of Nigeria business.

I have previously tried to help a member of this forum to secure a Nigerian distributor but the deal fell through cos of pricing.
UK and US are the largest Nigeria trade partners, with China Japan and Germany joining them, greater percentage of consumer electronics in Nigeria are made in china whilst automobile parts are from Germany and Japan.

Don't be discouraged by scammers if you believe there is good market for your products there, google "fendercare" it's a Norfolk based company that sell to Nigeria businesses.
Nigeria government is fighting the scammers but international cooperation is needed to dismantle the strong cabals involved in scam operations.
My advice is to ask as many questions as you can until you are satisfied, request for full payment before shipping and confirm the company's registered business address.

 

[Eagle]

Get the MD to send you a photo with him wearing a fish on his head.

 

[cjd]

Ask yourself why a Nigerian company need to come to you for what they want.

 

[Tbozz]

Ask yourself why a Nigerian company need to come to you for what they want.

Probably the same reason a UK company will approach a chinese business for what they want :|

 

[cjd]

Yeh, right

 

[Tbozz]

Yeh, right

Sorry CJD if i misunderstood you, but there are products that UK manufactures produce that are needed in Nigeria, if in doubt google "fendercare" "Sunmark" "Ralph Matindale", these companies trade with Nigeria businesses.
A friend of mine recently spent 6 months in Nigeria installing and servicing ATMs and escalators for banks and other small financial institutions.

Yes there are loads of fraudsters but there are still genuine Nigeria business that buy goods from UK manufacturers.

 

[cjd]

It's time to hear what our OP sells I think.

 

[WHUK]

There should be a reason to accept Nigerian as a Company or a customer. Their scams are well-known. I understand that not all are scammers, however, the ratio of scams coming from Nigeria has affected the professionalism and financial status of this country.

BTW, the methods they use to scam are simply unique

 

[stin003]

To verify the compant first, to make sure what kind of company it is if you want to make sure the safty, Good luck! you can ask for the third-party business service company to verify the company! that's useful!

 

[surfingliu]

you can credit LC to avoid the trade risk!

 

[Mubasyir]

Nigeria too many scammer .. Beware before make any transaction.

 

[bdw]

I think this is another thread that should be closed off.

 

[Brooklyn]

guarantee facility

 

[GGV Cargo]

I have a situation where I have been contacted by a Nigerian company who want my product, I have heard aboutt he Nigerian scams, so what is the best way in which I can protect myself and my business from a scam.

What payment terms would you ask for? Is a BACs transfer safer?

Hi,
i appreciate your wise decision for online advice. i will not advice you to go into any Business if you are not yet sure with the kind of partner you have in Nigeria. however, i will advice you to have a representative who could assist carry out some findings as to the status of your buyer and his paying method. hope you will find this info useful

thanks,
tayo george,
Pre-shipment consultant
Geokaz Global Ventures (Cargo and freight Forwarding Expert)

 

[beatrice-sz]

i never trust the inquiry from Nigeria.

 

[GGV Cargo]

i never trust the inquiry from Nigeria.

I understand your concern! nevertheless i implore you to look at the positive side of our economy. if you would like to do Business with Nigeria, or want to enter African Biggest market, you can visit official website of Lagos state chamber of commerce or official website of Nigerian-British chamber of commerce. they are both Government organization, and will be ready to provide you with all necessary information to dealing with Nigeria market...

To your success,
tayo george
Pre-Shipment consultant (Cargo and freight forwarding expert)

 

[solarenergy]

We should take equal attitue towards the buyers, no matter which country are the from. There are serious buyers everywhere.

 

[paris pan]

Many Nigerian sent iqnuiry to us very week .they said they would give you a big order ,then you have to send invitation .Or let me send money to them first .My god .i would like the letters from Nigeria go to spam .

 

[BLintl.]

Business with Nigeria and other West African countries can be done and you as exporter can benefit from it. Just follow simple rules and you will be safe.
1. Pay attention to "red flags" in the communication with your potential business partner. Often it is possible to see right away that you are talking to a scammer or timewaster.
2. Always check your potential buyer. We can help with this in Nigeria and many other countries.
3. Payment safety: always prepayment, irrevocable confirmed L/C or bank guarantee.
4. Never advance payment for any fees, licences, approvals etc. to Nigeria. If the "buyer" asks for it - forget him.
5. Never send invitations to people you do not know well and have previous experience of doing business.
6. When working with L/C, make sure that you will manage the paperwork exactly as the L/C demands. Otherwise you will not be paid.
7. Check the L/C for any possible built-in discrepancies.

Serious importers from Nigeria can arrange L/Cs or L/Gs without any problem.

 

[solarenergy]

Be careful with the fishing site from Nigeria:

I have received many fishing site there days. They told me that they want my product on MSN or Yahoo, and gave me a link.

Click on the link, your email account will be fished. And the scam comes!!

 

[HFE Signs]

Be careful, we get these from time to time, they want to pay by card and they often say they want to collect…. The funds will be drawn back from you and you’re screwed.. speak to your bank or just ignore the enquiry, its 99% likely to be a scam.. when we get them we ask for a bacs payment and then they go quiet… if they do bacs you speak with your bank manager..

 

[sandforthintl]

Hi,

Assuming you do actually do business with this company by securing payment made upfront - NEVER fall for the old confidence trick perpetrated by the scam merchants - who initially play by the rules only to convince you to send a consignment to them with no prior payment (as they have a problem with this or that and you can trust them as they have always paid) that will be the last you will hear from them.

 

[Deleted member 59730]

Speak directly to your bank manager, find out which is the best method and how long it should be in the bank before it is 100% safe

The safest method is to get pieces of paper with the Queen's head on them. £20s or £50s will do if there are enough of them.