A critical advisory issued by the High Commission of India in Abuja, Nigeria. This notice concerns a prevalent fraudulent scheme, known as the '419 Scam', targeting Indian businesses.
- Scam Operations: Fraudulent entities, masquerading as Nigerian government organizations, are deceitfully offering fictitious multi-million-dollar contracts to Indian companies.
- Common Red Flags: Requests for contract form submissions or upfront payments through channels like Money Gram or Western Union, which are not standard practices in legitimate government contracts.
- The Reality: Genuine contracts in Nigeria are publicly advertised, involve no hidden fees, and follow a transparent bidding process.
- Verification is Crucial: Prior to engaging with any entity claiming to be a Nigerian government organization, verify their credentials thoroughly. This includes checking their registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria and ensuring they have valid tax and trade licenses.
- Consult for Confirmation: Contact the Commerce Wing of the High Commission of India in Abuja for assistance in verifying the legitimacy of such contract offers (High Commission of India, Abuja).
- Secure Trade Practices: We advise conducting business transactions against letters of credit, legally binding contracts, and authentic bank guarantees to safeguard against potential frauds.
- Be cautious if approached by organizations with names like Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), North East Development Commission (NEDC), North West Development Commission (NWDC), Nigeria Northeast Rebuilding Development Program (NNRDP), Taraba State Rural Development Council (TSRDC), Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority (UBRBDA), Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority (LBRBDA), Nigeria Projects Authority Contracts Division (NPACD), Bauchi State Rural & Urban Development Authority (BSRUDA), Nigeria Northeast Rebuilding Development Program (NNRDP), Adamawa State Urban Planning & Development Authority (ASUPDA), Chad Basin Development Authority (CBDA), West African Communal Initiative Project (WARCIP), All Progressive Congress (APC) – Project Implementation Department and other similar sounding names.
- As per the Nigerian law, there is no constituted body such as Contract Awarding Committee or Contact Tender Board and if the foreign company is eligible to apply, there is no concept of their registration in Nigeria where the businesses are asked to pay a certain fee to a Lawyer for facilitation. This is called the “419 Scam” and it is a known fraud in Nigeria. You can notice in the advisory that the money is always demanded/sent by Money Gram or Western Union and never through the SWIFT Network. The Central Bank of Nigeria (the Nigerian counterpart of Reserve Bank of India) has issued an advisory regarding this fraud which can be accessed through the following link: Central Bank of Nigeria Website.
- Share this information within your networks to enhance collective awareness and prevention.
Together, Let’s Safeguard Our Interests: Your vigilance and informed decision-making are key to preventing such scams. Let’s collectively uphold the integrity of our trade practices.
CEO & FOUNDER OF VASSIO POTS
3 个月thanks for this information.he send me final contract latter you can see that
Business Development Manager @ Briteforce
5 个月We were contacted to supply 120 Lighting towers, payment upfront & 12 month to supply. Honestly, i actually went to the trouble of a freight quote. But once they asked for passport photos to be attached to an application to be a registered contractor. It all turned south. A group claiming to be representing the NEDC. In hindsight the signs were there but for the majority of the back and forth, the guy said all the right things. Crafty little critters!
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1 年Nice article. Yesterday I approached by one of them (NPACD). They have big procurement projet and asked for huge quantity. The payment terms is 80% advanced, 20% before loading. My suspicions come when they asked a few of money to "regist" into the project. Luckily I found this article. Thank you Mr. Girish.