A COMPANY called Afrika Comercial has been targeting businesses in Portugal and Spain to purchase products using falsified company guarantees.
Frank Murray from Algarve-based company, Só Tinteiros, was contacted by the manager of Afrika Comercial, Ermane Koffi, who said he was based in the Ivory Coast. He requested a quote for ink cartridges, which was valued at 30,000 euros.
Murray requested documentation to guarantee that he, and the company, was bona fide. Koffi told Murray that, for security reasons, he had to send this by fax rather than by email. This roused Murray’s suspicions and when the fax came through, he scanned it into the computer.
It revealed that the document had been tampered with and Koffi’s name and Afrika Comercial had been inserted into the document. The fax machine had not picked up the subtle outlines surrounding the names.
Murray contacted his suppliers in the north of Portugal, who told him that they had received the same request and they were also suspicious. He contacted Koffi and quoted him the price, making it clear that payment was required up front. They have not heard from Koffi since.
After several attempts to contact Afrika Comercial, The Resident was unable to obtain a comment.
If you have been targeted by this company, email [email protected]
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