HOW TO STOP AN INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING CONSIGNMENT ON TRANSIT THROUGH KENYA
Many manufacturers have at some point fall victim of online scam where they are contacted by unsuspecting scammers pretending to be genuine buyers of goods and promised payment once the goods are delivered. The scammers sometime produce fake documents or creates fake domains and addresses that are almost similar or resembles a well-known and established organization with good reputation and use them to scam unsuspecting manufacturers. To a great extend this usually result in huge loss to the company and as such the need to know what to do in the event a manufacturer has released the goods and immediately realized it was all along a protracted scam.
This article gives an insight of what a manufacturer should do in case the shipment is on transit through Kenya.
If you want to stop an international shipping consignment on transit to Kenya, for which you suspect was erroneously released and the alleged purchasers appears to you to be conmen/scammers, below are some of the steps you ought to take:
- Contact the shipping company or the carrier and request them to stop the shipment. Although it might be difficult to stop a shipment once it has been dispatched, some shipment companies may assist in contacting their agents, employees and/or authorities and request for assistance in stopping the shipment.
- Report the scam to the nearest police post for immediate investigation.
- Ensure that all the necessary paper works are in order and share them with the agencies you seek assistance from. These documents will be necessary in proving that you owned the goods and that you had instructed their release.
- Contact the carrier or shipping company’s customer service for assistance.
- Find a lawyer in Kenya to assist you in stopping the shipment by:
- Writing to the Kenya Ports Authority to help seize the consignment.
- Writing to Kenya Revenue Authority and request them not to clear the goods until your claim is addressed.
- Writing to Kenya Coast Guard Service to help locate and seize the ship and consignment.
- Writing to Directorate of Criminal Investigation and request for assistance in investigating and stopping the release of the consignment. and
- Moving the court for an Order compelling the shipment company, Kenya Revenue Authority & Kenya ports authority to release the goods back to you as the manufacturer and not to clear them for the Scammers.
It is also important to note that as a manufacturer, it is your duty to be vigilant to avoid such scams and be on alert to ensure that in such event you swing into action before the consignment gets to the scammer’s intended destination. In this case, you ought to ensure that any action to be taken is taken at the earliest opportunity possible before clearance of the good.
For more information or assistance in commerce and other admiralty related issues in Kenya; contact us on info@aowangaadvocates.com or +254794600191.
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