Mysterious theft
As of yesterday, June 21, the investigation into the theft of goods in a container of pepper and coffee originating from Cat Lai port has not yet made positive progress. Speaking to Thanh Nien reporters, a representative of the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA) said: "VPSA has had a direct meeting with representatives of Tan Cang Saigon Corporation, the unit managing Cat Lai Port, but after that there has been no positive information, signs of container embezzlement have not been clarified. For now, some businesses have temporarily compensated for the lost goods to avoid affecting their reputation, and on the other hand, they continue to wait for the results of the investigation." According to VPSA, for export shipments, some businesses buy insurance but some do not buy it in full. Even if they buy insurance, they still have to wait for the results from the port and the authorities to have a basis for handling the next steps.
Previously, as Thanh Nien reported, many VPSA member enterprises reported a shortage of pepper and coffee compared to the signed contract discovered at the port of arrival. Statistics showed that the volume of lost goods accounted for 7-28%, all from the same port of Cat Lai and all stayed at the port for a period of time due to the delay of the ship. A total of more than 18.5 tons of coffee and pepper (worth 2.7 billion VND) of 5 exporting enterprises were "gutted", causing foreign partners to not receive the full amount as signed. Of which, more than 8.2 tons of pepper were lost, and 10.3 tons of coffee.
Previously, pepper, cashew nuts, and coffee were targets of foreign thieves and scammers. In 2022, the Vietnam Cashew Association (VINACAS) was shocked when hundreds of containers of exported cashew nuts showed signs of being scammed, and were seized by criminals at the port of arrival, with the risk of losing hundreds of billions of VND. After that, with the involvement of leaders at all levels as well as the support of Vietnamese trade offices abroad, the shipments were recovered one by one, but also caused a lot of damage in terms of selling price, transportation costs, etc.
In the same year 2022, another company exported 5 containers of cashew nuts to Algeria, through an intermediary company located in South Africa. The intermediary company deposited 10% of the value of the goods, but when the goods arrived at the port of Mostaganem (Algeria), the customer, Eurl ATS Food Company of Algeria, could not complete customs clearance procedures because this company was put on the list of commercial fraud by the Algerian Ministry of Commerce since June 2022. According to the customs of the port of Mostaganem, Eurl ATS Food Company lost the legal capacity to carry out procedures such as import, as well as change the receiving company to replace or re-export the goods. According to the customs of the host country, after more than 5 months at the port, Algerian customs had the right to auction this shipment.
In 2023, there was another case of 5 containers of pepper, cinnamon, cashew and star anise worth nearly half a million USD being defrauded in the Dubai market. Later, thanks to the intervention of the authorities, the shipments were brought back, but the damage to pursue the lawsuits was extremely large. From there, the Association recommends that businesses be cautious when transacting with businesses showing suspicious signs.
In addition to the risk of encountering fraudulent partners, pepper and cashew exporting enterprises also face the risk of being "stolen" by drivers during transportation. Over the past 10 years, the situation of thieves stealing export goods has occurred continuously. Many cases have been investigated, solved, and the perpetrators arrested by the police, but the theft of goods has not been completely stopped.
Why target?
Why do thieves and scammers often target pepper and cashews? Mr. Bach Khanh Nhut, Permanent Vice President of VINACAS, explained: "Currently, Vietnam's agricultural products are increasing in price very high, pepper is at a record high price, cashews are also having a bad harvest this year, causing prices to increase by 40-50%, coffee prices are increasing rapidly, exceeding the highest level in history.
On the other hand, if the items of clothing, shoes, rice, etc. are stolen, the value is low, the goods are bulky, and consumption is difficult. Seafood and fruits must be stored in refrigerated containers. As for coffee, pepper, cashew nuts, etc., the domestic supply is limited and prices are high, so it is certain that if only 15-20% of the goods in the container are stolen, the thief will have a large fortune, and the consumption of counterfeit goods is also easy because the demand for raw materials is very large."
Speaking to Thanh Nien , Mr. Vu Thai Son, Chairman of Binh Phuoc Cashew Association, General Director of Long Son Company, was indignant: "My company has been a victim of container "gutting", not once but many times, to the point that we now have to invest in our own container fleet to pull cashew nuts for export, to limit the above theft". According to Mr. Vu Thai Son, pepper and cashew products are often the target of thieves, and at the same time, the target of international scammers because of their high value.
"For cashew nuts, just withdrawing half a container can earn you 50,000 USD. Another weakness is that the current weighing and reconciliation at domestic ports is only done as a formality, not really accurately. If the weighing and reconciliation are strictly implemented, criminals who want to withdraw goods must prepare more complicated tools, such as using bricks, stones, or water barrels to replace the amount of goods withdrawn," said Mr. Vu Thai Son.
Regarding international fraud, many export enterprises have been victims, however, among the most notable cases, pepper and cashew nuts are still the focus. Explaining this phenomenon, the leader of VINACAS analyzed: "Cashew nuts are very valuable, with demand in America, Europe, and Asia, so just by defrauding 1 container of cashew nuts, you can get hundreds of thousands of USD. Meanwhile, cashew nut processing enterprises for export are always under pressure to sell their products to maintain their capital, and the buying and selling depends heavily on brokers and communication via the internet, so they are easily deceived due to their subjective and impatient mentality."
Recently, VSPA has issued a warning about international fraud, listing 39 businesses with signs of fraud, asking members to be careful when signing contracts. VPSA recommends: For customers who are trading for the first time, they can ask the Vietnam Trade Office in the host country to check the information of the importing company.
In order to minimize risks in business transactions with partners in West Asian countries, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and associations also recommend that businesses pay close attention to large value contracts, especially with partners found online.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-tieu-dieu-roi-vao-tam-ngam-ke-gian-185240621182306313.htm
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