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Caution: Documentation of a very professional fraud attempt with risk protection – www.binicdistribution.fr
The Internet makes a lot of things easier in business life – and opens up new opportunities for fraud
One more thing: Fraud becomes even easier thanks to data protectionTo protect the cheese wheel, it is put into salt bath or turned into dry salt. The salt removes water from the cheese and it dries faster. So the rind is formed. » More info – nobody is allowed to give you information – not even if you suspect fraud.
We document here a “goods fraud attempt” with extremely well made fraud organization and/or – structure – supplemented with a genuine on-line appearance (www.binicdistribution.fr) and with acceptance of a false company identity of a respectable, French enterprise to you.
What makes it very easy for the fraudsters in this case: The real French company is very weakly present on the Internet and no one speaks English (knowledge after many attempts to establish contact).
Reading, learning and forwarding: We hope that this presentation will protect as many SME entrepreneurs as possible from major financial losses.
The step-by-step procedure of the fraud attempt for easy reading
The first email request of a potential new customer: Request B2B Account
Dear Sir / Madam,
I will first give you a brief descriptionCheese packaging must have certain markings. The purpose of these markings is to protect the consumer from deception and to announce the supply of certain information about the product. » More info of our company :
We are also known as SA BINIC DISTRIBUTION. Our activity is classified in the category Retail trade: Sale of products for consumers of department stores and supermarkets. The distribution of products to consumers. BINIC DISTRIBUTION, a simplified joint-stock company, we have been in business for 27 years.
- Located in BINIC-ETABLES-SUR-MER FRANCE.
- We are specializes in the hypermarket business sector.
- Our workforce is between 100 and 199 employees.
- In the year 2017 our company achieve a turnover of € 33,967,300.00.
- Our balance sheet total increased by 7.47% between 2016 and 2017
- We have continuously been able to sustain a remarkable growth for the past 10 years.
- We have direct contracts with manufacturers throughout international experience, professional team.
- Flexible payment terms and optimal logistical.
- High credit rating at the leading insurance companies .
NB: Could you please check and let us know how we can start a B2B cooperation or open a customer account with your company.
INCOTERMS : DAP (delivery at place)
PAYMENT : NET 30 DAYS ON INVOICE
We will be glad to hearing from you
Regards,
Salmon Jean Philippe
Directeur Commercial & Marketing
LES PRES CALANS
22520 BINIC-ETABLES-SUR-MER
Tel :33(0)2 18 46 09 99
Mob:33(0)753 618 205
First online research promises – everything seems to be OK
After a first onlineThe purchase of food and cheese via the Internet. A big and very interesting topic in this area will probably be the easy and quick access to specialties such as - for examle - cheese. » More info research everything seems to be fine – https://www.societe.com/societe/binic-distribution-379856941.html
Test package delivery address:
Mr. Sam Gomis
39 robjohns road
Chelmsford
CM1 3AG
UK
Tel : +447818459832
Strangely striking: Address is a person – not a company address – but perhaps usual ?? Checking on google maps shows that it is an industrial area. From that everything is still ok.
Meanwhile, cc recipients are added to the emails – and we receive callbacks with questions from England and France – all indeed very confidence-building communication measures.
Because of the payment it is usual 30 days after delivery. We reply, we normally only work on L/C. His input: Other suppliers would settle this with failure insurance. After consultation with www.acredia.at this is usual and if the company has good figures, then this is not a problem – not even in terms of costs.
We receive the following feedback after examination of the samples:
Dear Stephan,
I have a good news for you one of UK client is likely to buy with us. Thank you for your reply in relation to our query regarding your product.
See references below:
ARTISAN MEDIUM-HARD CREAM CHEESE MILD ———– full load of 6 kg wheel
To speed up the process of becoming part of your clients we would recommend that you start accessing our company credit file. Could you please request with your credit insurance (Risk Insurance) a credit line approval before we start proceeding with any monthly purchases basis.
Find below our company details:
S A BINIC DISTRIBUTION
Les Pres Calans
22520 BINIC –ETABLES-SUR-MER ( FRANCE)
SIREN : 379856941
TVA : FR91379856941
We send the complete data to Vienna to www.acredia.at for verification and it comes to an appointment with the sales manager
Short version: Company is serious and clean – there is nothing against a failure assumption. We inform Mr. Salmon that the information comes from Vienna that nothing stands in the way of the insurance.
Product test feedback from Salmon Jean Philippe
Dear Stephan,
Thank you very much . The client is happy with the cheese so tomorrow we will discuss further more and return to you in the afternoon to start the business.
The first concrete request for quotation from France
Thank you again very much for sending us the sample. After a long discussion with our customer they decided to go for:
ARTISAN MEDIUM-HARD CREAM CHEESE
So could you please send us a quotation for :
- 66 palettes of the 6 kg wheels
- The incoterms should be DAP
- The terms and conditions are NET 30 days after delivery
- Awaiting for your reply
Regards, Salmon
Our answer – 66 pallets of just one type of cheese is a lot and it takes longer – we ask for a monthly framework contract
Thereupon comes a change – it seems strange.
Dear Stephan,
I had a meeting yesterday with our customer. After long discussion we agreed that you will supply
- 5 palettes instead of 66 palettes of ARTISAN MEDIUM-HARD CREAM CHEESE for a trial
- 5 palettes instead of 66 palettes of HeumilchSince 2004, ARGE Heumilch Österreich has been bringing together around 8,000 hay-milk farmers and more than 60 dairies. » More info Bergkäse, mild
Therefore we will start with two sortiment of the cheese
Total palettes first order 10 palettes
Ignore the 66 palettes and put in your system 10 palettes for a start
Regards – Salmon
Online quick check – who owns the domain www.binicdirstibution – with whois.com. Amazing information and insights
This online review is quick and easy as a first step. And lo and behold, the registrant keeps a low profile and is not published. This is hardly ever the case with a reputable company. Either the company itself or the responsible agency is the trustee. But here stands: https://www.whois.com/whois/binicdistribution.fr
registrar: CRONON AG
type: Isp Option 1
address: Pascalstr, 10
address: 10587 BERLIN
country: DE
phone: +49 30 398020
fax-no: +49 30 39802 222
e-mail: email@cronon.net
website: http://www.strato.fr
anonymous: NO
registered: 19/01/2006
source: FRNIC
So we call CRONON AG (company of Strato AG) and ask for the information who the owner is – there is a lot of money involved. The – almost unbelievable – information due to current data protection laws is not to be disclosed.
But the Cronon (Strato) employee says: “We receive an email from Cronon (Strato) with which we can contact the owner undercover – he can answer us then. When asked what this was supposed to do, a cheater could answer back wrong, he said it was already right. We got the email after all – looks like it – and makes no sense to pursue it any further.
Hallo Herr Hohn,
To contact the owner of a domain, please use the form below:
https://registrar.strato.com/privacy
Best regards
D. S | Registrar Services
xxxxx@cronon.net, Fon: +49 xxx, Fax: +49 xxx
Our opinion: These data protection laws really support fraud and make it easier for fraudsters because they remain anonymous.
The information from whois.com looks like this:
Many call attempts at real Binic in France after researching an alternative phone number
After some searching (not so easy) we came to a French business site with another, very simple homepage https://www.magasins-u.com/superu-binic and found an alternative phone number.
After several calls we gave up. As soon as we said English please we hung up with NO – so nobody speaks english. The online chat of the site didn’t work in English either.
So we asked a French speaking person to call and ask Mr. Salmon to discuss the situation.
After a short conversation our calling person received from the employee the info – domain binicdistribution.fr does not belong to her company – there are also no foreign shops. This is all FAKE.
Conclusion: The ideal ingredients for an organized online fraud success
- Select and adopt the identity of a company with a language barrier – which is also weak online
- Create online page and hide information – switch off organic search engine – then you won’t be found (e.g. by the real company) and can work well hidden.
- Invent a plausible story and create an online page for it
- Send enquiries to SMEs and come up with larger orders – Establish trust through plausible communication
- Build trust through secure risk protection – insurers do not verify the authenticity of the company and insure
- Delivery address at another location – goods simply disappear then – the online page is switched off
- The bomb bursts as soon as the invoice is sent to the ignorant company – and the insurance company does not pay.
We play the game and make an offer for 2×5 pallets of cheese – is of course rejected by Mr. Salmon
Dear Salmon
We can deliver you 2×5 palletes
5 palettes ARTISAN MEDIUM-HARD CREAM CHEESE
1 palette is 46 x 6kg wheels
5 palettes = 230 wheels
net price: €
5 palettes of Heumilch Bergkäse, mild
1 palette is 16 x 24 kg wheels
5 palettes = 80 wheels
net price: €
Total net price first delivery: €
Transport price – we need to know the exactly delivery address?
For the first delivery and because of the small amount we need pre-payment (advice of the insurance company www.acredia.at – Mr. XX told us this should normally be no problem from his experience).
Next Wednesday I meet him again regarding covering risk up to 66 palettes.
Salmon just let us know how we shall proceed – I can prepare invoice and we can start our first operation.
Glad to hear from you
Stephan
System destruction – unfortunately not possible due to lack of readiness in England (UK)
We thought it should be in the interest of white-collar crime to stop such international attempts at fraud. It would be possible to make flare deliveries and follow all this up.
We therefore contacted the police station in Wolfurt and explained the complete situation – the chain of evidence is complete. We were told that they could help us very well in Austria-Germany,Switzerland and that it would also be of great interest.
Unfortunately in England police is very uncooperative with these topics and if one were, one would become active only after damage occurrence – and then everything would still run very slowly. So theycan’t help us – although they you would like to. Too bad.
Conclusion: The ideal success ingredients for a promising online network fraud
First of all: You can prevent all this with a real identity verification – there are specialized companies for it
- Select and adopt the identity of a company with a language barrier – which is also weak online
- Create online page and hide information – switch off organic search engine – then you won’t be found (e.g. by the real company) and can work well hidden.
- Invent a plausible story and create an online page for it
- Send enquiries to SMEs and come up with larger orders – Establish trust through plausible communication
- Build trust through secure risk protection – insurers do not verify the authenticity of the company and insure
- Delivery address at another location – goods simply disappear then – the online page is switched off
- The bomb bursts as soon as the invoice is sent to the ignorant company – and the insurance company does not pay.
