אזהרה: יש לבדוק את מקור הצעות לשילוח ימי מסין

לאחרונה אנו עדים, הן בישראל והן בחו"ל לשיטות מסחר בלתי הוגנות בכל הקשור לשילוח ימי דרך משלחים מסין.

על כן חשוב לבחון את מקור ההצעה ולא להסתמך אך ורק על התכתבות או קבלת חוזה חתום הנשלחת באמצעות הדואר האלקטרוני. כמו כן, יש לערוך בדיקת רקע של החברה המציעה, לפני חתימה על חוזה עם גורם לא ידוע.

להלן הודעת ארגון המשלחים הבריטי בנושא:

BIFA warns of Chinese forwarders email soliciting cheap ocean rate offers

THE British International Freight Association has warned its members of Chinese independent forwarding companies soliciting partnership by email in offering cheap ocean rates to businesses in the UK.

Although some of these will be genuine requests, there will be agreements struck which fail to follow procedure. Then when cargo hits UK ports, original Bill of Lading is found to be missing and the Chinese forwarder demands large ransom for the release of these documents.

This then puts UK forwarders and customers in a costly dilemma where goods remain in situ without original documentation, cited a report from the American Journal of Transportation.

The association advises UK forwarders and customers to be careful in forming an agreement with overseas partner by not relying solely on signature in an agency agreement.

BIFA urges members to beware of emails from unknown Chinese forwarders
A fraudulent scam of a different nature has been brought to our attention.

On face value these emails appear to be from independent forwarding companies looking for UK partners, by way of offering cheap ocean rates. The majority may be genuine, but for some, deep down there is criminal intent.

Once an agreement is in place and business starts, all appears to be normal. This is until the cargo arrives at the UK port and no-one has received the original Bill of Lading. When contacted the Chinese forwarder then demands a large ransom for the release of the original Bills of Lading.

The dilemma for UK forwarders and their customers is whether to pay, knowing the pain and cost that comes with not having the original documentation.

BIFA recommends diligence and advises that whilst entering into any form of agreement, with an overseas partner, just asking for a signature on an agency agreement is not good enough.

Published: 01 October 2013 - www.bifa.org