Fraudulent BoLs on the rise – beware

Mutual insurance association, the Standard P&I Club, has warned of a rise in the number of cases related to delivery of container cargo against fraudulent bills of lading in African ports, particularly in Mombasa, Matadi and Nacala.

The Club issued an alert on its website, noting that in a few cases the fake set of bills of lading looked sufficiently genuine, resulting in delivery of cargo against them.

“In one case, the fake bill of lading was printed on the shipowner’s actual bills of lading form to create a legitimate appearance, including the security feature embedded in the genuine bill of lading form. This particular case is still under investigation,” said Yves Vandenborn, director of loss prevention for the company.

He pointed out that it was Te It vital that cargo owners maintained a clear line of communication with all parties involved to be able to determine the chain of custody for any set of original bills of lading if necessary. “If the local agents notice any irregularities in the documents presented, they should immediately contact the member to seek clarification,” said Vandenborn.

He recommended that cargo owners ensured their local agents were familiar with internal procedures regarding existing checks on bills of lading presented in exchange for release of container cargo.

“These internal procedures should be reviewed and revised periodically to ensure that potential gaps are addressed to avoid similar instances from recurring. Local agents should ensure that proper checks are undertaken on presented documents to ensure their genuine nature. If documentation errors or inconsistencies are noted then operations should be put on hold till clarification is sought,” said Vandenborn.