Shiptonaija say no to fruad
 
 

BACKGROUND

With a growing increase in internet-related fraud, Shiptonaija has decided to officially work on a regular basis to direct all suspected fraud cases to the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Nigerian Police Force (NPF). These crimes have reputational damage on Nigeria and Nigerians and has affected the willingness of many companies abroad to do business with Nigerian related firm.

For online merchants and their customers, the growing threat of online theft is a real concern. With every step retailers take to tighten security and prevent malicious activity, scam artists seem to up their game and outwit them. On the special request of EFCC we have decided to work fully with them to prosecute all suspected fraud cases. 

Shiptonaija has over 150,000 customers who rely on our shipping services to transport goods from USA/UK to Nigeria. To this end, we take fraud as a very serious crime and will not hesitate to take legal actions whenever we suspect our warehouse address has been used to fraudulently purchase any item.

Shiptonaija is opposed to any form of fraud. As a business, we are committed to working to minimize the risk posed by fraud and cybercrime. This policy is therefore established to facilitate the detection and prevention of fraud committed through the Shiptonaija platform by suspected fraudsters.

SCOPE

This policy applies to any customer doing business with Shiptonaija and any individual who has an account with Shiptonaija. An investigative activity will be conducted without regard to the suspected customer’s position/title or relationship with the company.

POLICY

Shiptonaija in conjunction EFCC and the Nigerian Police Force is responsible for the detection and prevention of fraud, misappropriations, and other irregularities. The objective of the procedure is to:

  • Encourage sellers and individuals to be aware of fraud;
  • Bring suspected fraud to notice;
  • Provide a framework response plan for investigating and reporting fraud; and
  • Ensure both alleged and proven fraud are dealt with in a consistent and timely manner.

FRAUD AWARENESS DISCLAIMER

We have observed that certain individuals, through various methods, under false pretences may attempt to ship fraudulently acquired valuables through our platform. Please note that we are an international freight forwarding and logistics company and operate a zero tolerance policy for fraudulent activities on our platform. Our company has put in place numerous measures to curb the shipping of illegally obtained items through our platform. Be rest assured that we will never receive or ship such items knowingly as it goes against our policy as a company. However, you are strongly advised to exercise great caution in all your transactions and be mindful of such scams as we are not party to these transactions. 

Under no circumstances shall American Airsea Cargo or its affiliates be held liable or responsible for any claims, losses, damages, expenses or other inconveniences resulting from or in any way connected to these fraudulent activities. 

In the event that criminal and/or civil liabilities arise from such fraudulent activities, we shall take reasonable steps to cooperate with all competent law enforcement agencies and support any legal proceedings initiated against individuals undertaking such fraudulent activities.

CONSEQUENCE OF FRAUD 

There are many negative consequences of fraud affecting all parties involved; Shiptonaija, the defrauded victim, and the fraudster. However, the punishment by law will take its full cause on anyone found guilty after our investigation has been carried out:

  • Shiptonaija has a full-time legal counsel to work closely with the EFCC and Nigerian police to fully prosecute every case of internet-related fraud found to have occurred. This is part of our commitment to helping in cleaning up the already damaged image such crimes have caused Nigerians and Nigeria.
  • Working with the NPF & EFCC, we will provide all information needed to effect the arrest of anyone found to have committed internet fraud through our platform. Irrespective of your location in Nigeria, you will be arrested and moved to the force office in Lagos.
  • Working with these agencies, all our staff are fully trained on fraud detection, and no fraudulent package will henceforth escape our watchful eyes. 
  • When caught, be sure of full prosecution, with no leniency or pardon. No amount of begging from elderly parents or relatives will deter our legal team from pushing for the maximum penalty. In the last one month since the inception of this, our office has been besieged by elderly parents pleading on behalf of the various culprits. 

THERE WILL BE NO PARDON FOR CULPRITS

Be informed, we will not pay any form of attention to such pleas. 

  • We will allow the full wrath of the law to take hold. Please note that if found guilty, the punishment allowed by law is seven (7) years in prison.
  • Shiptonaija will not be part of any plead deal with you to reduce the sentence whatsoever.
  • We are especially proud of the effectiveness of the Nigerian police in their willingness to handle these cases that have led to the arrest of 3 internet fraud gangs within the last one month, of which 2 of these groups are scheduled to be arraigned in court shortly. 

PENALTIES TO THE SUSPECTED FRAUDSTER INCLUDE:

Jail term – The Nigerian laws provide that such convicted fraudster shall be liable to a jail term of not more than 7 years or a fine of not more than N5,000,000.00 or to both such fine and imprisonment and shall further be liable to payment in monetary terms the value of loss sustained by the owner of the credit card. Shiptonaija will ensure that all suspected fraudsters are duly prosecuted to the full extent of the law. 

Civil lawsuit – Fraudulent conduct may and often does violate more than one law and because the same conduct can violate more than one law; criminal and civil, Shiptonaija or the victim can file a lawsuit that includes any and all the applicable causes of action that can be proven. Hence, the fraudster may also subject to a civil lawsuit to recover money or property, or their equivalent in monetary damages. This lawsuit can also run concurrently with prosecution or criminal lawsuit.

REPORTING FRAUD

All actual or suspected incidents of fraud should be reported without delay to Shiptonaija. If any item is identified by Shiptonaija’s team to have been fraudulently obtained by a suspect or an individual who has an account with Shiptonaija, the item will be returned immediately to the defrauded Seller. Shiptonaija shall charge a fix charge of $50 as a return charge. 

We have so far redirected tens of shipments back to their Sellers and store of purchase, including shipments from Walmart, Apple, Verizon Wireless, Fossil, Ardyss International, Consignment Blackberry Phones from Cricket Wireless (handed over to Stafford Police in Texas), and lots more. Where the real owners can’t be traced, the items will be handed over to the local Stafford Police for disposal.

Shiptonaija will also ensure that the following authorities are immediately notified with comprehensive details of the transaction and contact of the suspect:

  • Nigerian Police Force (NPF)
  • Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) 

Shiptonaija will cooperate with these authorities to ensure that suspected fraudsters are arrested and duly prosecuted in court. Shiptonaija will in addition file a civil suit against the suspect for reputational damage against Shiptonaija. 

Below are a few of the cases we have prosecuted in conjunction with the Lagos police and the Stafford police in Texas:

CASES OF FRAUD

Innocent Manafa- He registered on our platform using a fake name, Elizabeth Anderson. We received a report from a US Merchant, Dave Kings, on the 19th of January, 2022, who complained of being defrauded of a camera by one Elizabeth Anderson who used a fake Zelle payment receipt to complete the fraudulent transaction. The package was immediately returned to the owner after proper verification was done by our Fraud Team. The culprit has also been arrested by the Police and is awaiting court prosecution.
Ajiboye Muiz- We were contacted by a US merchant on the 26th of October, 2021, who complained that she was defrauded of an iphone 12 by one Ajiboye Muiz, a person using our platform. We immediately swung into action and got the culprit arrested by the police. He is currently in police custody awaiting court trial.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Ajisefini Lateef - We were contacted on April 16, 2019, by a Customer Service Rep (Mike Chihon) of a store (Worldwide Golf Club) stating that the order made by the customer to purchase a set of golfs and grips was a fraudulent one, hence they wanted it shipped back to them. Three persons have been arrested in connection with this case, one of whom is Mr Ajisefini himself. They are currently undergoing police interrogations.

Micheal Roland - We were contacted on May 1, 2019, by a staff of Metabolic Nutrition in the U.S stating that the customer bought some Nutritional Supplements using a stolen credit card. Two people have been arrested in connection with the online scam case. They have been mandated to produce Micheal Roland within two weeks of their arrest.

Godwin Okeke - On March 30, 2019, a seller contacted us, stating that she and her business partner were defrauded of a Celtic Lisbon Lion Watch by one Mary Humphrey (apparently a fake name used for online scam). Our Fraud Detection Team, Warehouse Personnel, and the Nigerian Police swung into action to investigate and arrest the suspect. He will be prosecuted on 22nd May 2019 alongside Ayoola Kamil and Bakare Rukayat.

An individual by the name Deborah Abiola fraudulently obtained a ring; Shipment no - 152393 worth the value of $9,000 and requested that the item be shipped via standard air to his Nigerian address to be received by one Ayoola Kamil. The scammed Seller reported to the police authorities in U.S and they in turn raided our office and attempted to arrest some of our office staff. Our legal team has reported him to the police and he has been arrested and will be tried in court, once found guilty he will be jailed. The Commissioner of Police has approved the case to be moved to court and so Ayoola Kamil will be arraigned at the Magistrate court Ogba on Thursday, April 25, 2019.

Bakare Rukayat defrauded a Seller resident in U.S, Miss Dakota Boaden of an Apple Iphone 6s gold 32gb. The seller on becoming aware of the fraud immediately proceeded to write negative review on Shiptonaija google platform. The stolen item was directed to be shipped to the individual Nigerian address. However, our well-trained team on fraud identification swung into action and the suspect handed to the law enforcement agents. The Commissioner of Police has approved the case to be moved to court and so Bakare Rukayat will be arraigned at the Magistrate court Ogba on Thursday, April 25, 2019.

John Okonkwo with fake identity name: Mary Humphrey defrauded a UK Seller, Adam Aspinall of a Samsung mobile phone and cover. Same was delivered to our UK warehouse for onward shipping to his Nigerian address.

Another individual by a fake name Princess Jiang Lei from Ibadan Nigeria defrauded a Seller resident in US named Francisco Corona of a Microsoft pro and keyboard. The same was to be delivered to him in Oyo state, Nigeria. our team on fraud investigated and he was found to have defrauded the seller.

A petition has been filed with the Commissioner of Police requesting for their arrest. As soon as the petition is approved, investigation will commence and all culprit will be arrested and brought to face the full wrath of the law for their criminal infractions.

Victor Chinedu – On the 19th of January 2019 was reported by a seller on eBay who did not receive his payment. He was scammed of a Samusung Head Phone using a fake PayPal payment owned by Victor Chinedu. The item which has been directed to our US warehouse arrived on 21st of January 2019. Further investigations with our team confirmed the item was not paid for using a genuine PayPal account. The Shiptonaija Nigeria team was immediately informed and an arrest was carried out by the Nigerian Police Force. Victor Chinedu and his brother, who was asked to pick up the shipment were arrested in Lagos. 

Ismail Ajibola – On January 10, 2019 was reported to Shiptonaija by Kate Hall, a seller on eBay. He was said to have fraudulently purchased a Canon Camera using a fake PayPal payment. After tracing the item, it was seen that the item was sent to Shiptonaija US warehouse address. Immediately Shiptonaija received the Canon Camera it was returned to the seller, Kate Hall on eBay. The Shiptonaija Nigeria team were alerted and men of the Nigerian Police Force swung into action to arrest him. He was arrested within hours. Note that our staff are fully trained on fraud detection and investigation to identify fraud packages within minutes of receiving them.

Mr Sean Paul - In December 2013, and represented by Mr Patrick Oni, Sean Paul sent a huge batch of fluke multimeters to our warehouse. Following serious training, our warehouse personnel easily noticed after the items had shipped that they were most likely fraud and set out to effect an arrest of Mr Sean Paul. More research was done, and items were immediately returned to the US seller of the items. An operation was set up to effect the arrest of Mr Sean Paul, and on 6th of January 2014, he was arrested by men of the Lagos state police command. He was charged for credit card fraud, and we worked seriously with the Police to ensure he is fully charged and convicted for fraud. Following his experience after spending days in prison, Mr Patrick Oni will most likely not engage in any form of fraudulent activity through Shiptonaija. 

Mr Wale Ogunsola - On the 19th of July 2010, Mr Wale of Ikeja, Lagos used the names of two defrauded individual residing in North Carolina and Colorado Springs, USA to make purchases on a US based web site, www.shopfromamerica.com. Using the credit cards of these two Americans, purchases were made to the tune of $3000. The items were then directed to be shipped to him through Shiptonaija. These were easily noted as fraud by our trained shipping team, and our location in Nigeria was immediately alerted. An operation to effect an arrest was put in place in conjunction with the Nigerian Police, and he was arrested within hours, and charged for credit card fraud. Documents were provided to prove the case, and he was charged by the police and made to account for the purchases. He was fully prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Mr Shannon Hendricks - Around the 10th of December 2010, we received a shipment of 8 blackberry phones (Model - 8530) to be shipped to Ibadan for a Mr Shannon Hendricks. A quick review by our staffs also spotted this to be a fraudulent shipment. The phones included receipts for various US-based customers from Cricket Wireless. More extensive review confirmed this to be a suspected case of fraud, and we advised the customer to provide genuine receipts or the items will be held back. Thereafter we did not hear from the customers, and after 3 months, the items were all delivered to the Stafford Police Department, on the 1st of April 2011 to dispatch the items back to the rightful owners.

Mr M. Olusegun - In March 2011, shipments containing 147 units of 500 GB hard drives were received in 2 batches from a US-based citizen. Our trained staff on immediately seeing the packages identified them as potential fraud, and further investigation confirmed this. Note that our staff are fully trained on fraud detection and investigation and identify fraud packages within minutes of receiving them. We alerted the Nigerian Police Force, and in conjunction with their fraud team, an operation was put in place to effect an arrest. He was arrested within hours and spent a night in police cell until he was able to post bail. All items were handed over to the Stafford Police Department in Texas to further investigate and prosecute any US based person involved in the transaction. Mr Olusegun was also prosecuted in Nigeria to the full extent of the law.

Mr Ibitayo - Working with a Mr Geraldo based in the US, Mr Ibitayo in March 2011, directed a shipment of 7 dell laptops, 1 Alienware laptop, 5 addidas shoes, 6 shirts, 1 baseball hat, and 1 dell printer to the warehouse of American AirSea Cargo in the US. As usual within minutes of receiving the shipment, they were identified as fraud. Our staff conducted further investigations and contacted the Lagos state police command as usual. An arrest operation was put in place in conjunction with the police, and the recipient, Mr Ibitayo was immediately picked up by men of the Lagos state police command within a few hours. All items were handed over to the Stafford Police Force in Texas for further investigation. Mr Ibitayo was also prosecuted in Nigeria to the full extent of the law.

Mr Ola Ponle - Working with a Miss Paterson of Clovis, California, the credit card details of Miss Mudge of Mountain View, California was used to purchase a Vizio 42" LCD HDTV on March 24th, 2011. The item was shipped to American AirSea Cargo to dispatch out of the country, but as usual based on extensive fraud detection training, our warehouse personnel placed a fraud alert on this shipment and set out to perform further investigations. The item was purchased from Walmart, and a call was placed to them. Surprisingly, they could not identify it as a fraud, and gave it a pass mark as been a legitimate transaction. Due to the signature of the transaction, our fraud team still not satisfied contacted Miss Peterson who gave a very convincing story of its authenticity. Calls were then placed to Mr Ola Ponle, and he also gave a fantastic story. But our fraud team still believed it was a fraud shipment based on their experience and training. We requested for further documentation from Miss Peterson within 30 days, and after she did not provide it, the items were handed over to the local police for final verification. The team of fraud specialist in the Stafford police department, investigated and discovered that is was a fraud shipment, confirming our initial suspicion, that was disputed by Walmart. Items were then handed over to them (The Stafford Police Department), and they have commenced further investigation and possible prosecution of those involved.

There is a lot more that we check that we won’t reveal publicly. Our advice to you is not to risk it. We will catch and prosecute you to the full extent of the law.