Usacomplaints.com » Miscellaneous » Complaint / Review: Kingsley Stone - Advance Fee Scam Lome. #137750

Complaint / Review
Kingsley Stone
Advance Fee Scam Lome

Below are all the details that relate to a failed business proposition that came to me a few months ago. If it was a scam it was possibly an advance fee scam rather than your average 419 type scam.

What made this different? Well, it involved the purchase of stock that I ordinarily trade in and payment was to be by Telegraphic Transfer from a US bank, rather than by credit card.

History
And now for the history of the deal as it unfolded. I was first contacted by Kingsley Stone on 26/6 with the following email.

Dear sir / madam,
We are a reliable company here lome togo for years import/export and we have gain much reputation in our local region, Meanwhile; we got your company contact from internate search through the kind help of Togolaise International Foriegn Trade that you are the righful manufacturer and exporter of all kinds of garments etc. Of which we welcome this opportunity to cultivate a long lasting and profitable business relectionship for the promotion of this product here in west africa.
However, we are very much interested on Ready made garment, regards on transaction at hand. Therefore, we will like to know you the more as to faciliate the actualisation of this target for the mutaul benefits of the both beloved parties in the very near future. Kindly send through email attachement your product samples for our kind reference and study as we are now inposition to place an immediate orde with your able company.
It is a pleasure, and we aniticipate hearing from you soonest as we hope to cultivate a lucrative trade link for mutual benefits.

Regards,
Mr. Kingsley Stone

I searched google for his name and found an entry on IndiaBizClub looking for business contacts to import merchandise into his country. I responded with details of our products in this email:

Dear Mr Stone.

Thankyou for contacting me regarding my range of products. While I am not an actual manufacturer of clothing as such, I do provide a facility to purchase a wide variety of items online. These items are manufactured by my associates here in Australia and can be sent anywhere in the world.

I noted from your listing on IndiaBizClub.com that you are interested in import and export of a range of adult and children's clothing.

The clothing I have available is not ordinary clothing. The focus of the clothing I sell is gothic, period and medieval in nature. You can see my current product range on my website www.dragonschalice.com While this range of clothing is somewhat limited at the moment, my manufacturer has a much larger range of clothing and I am currently working with them to expand the range of items available online.

I would also like to draw your attention to another product range I have available online. It is a variety of exotic leather products manufactured using one of the strongest leathers in the world. I am referring to fish leather. I have a range of finished fish leather products including wallets, key rings etc and can also supply tanned fish skins that are ready to be used in the manufacture of other leather goods. You can get more information on this specialist product range at www.seaspriteleather.com

If you are interested in importing any of my products, please could you indicate volumes required so that I can check on availability. All orders for my products can be placed online on the above websites. Please note, for large orders, there may be an increase in postage, depending on the size of the order involved.

I look forward to discussing your requirements with you and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,

Alex Hammond
Proprietor
AA & AJ Enterprises

To which I received the following reply:

Dear Alex Hammond

We thank you for your mail of today which all the contents well understood with keen interest,
However; it is our pleasure to build a lucrative trade link as well join hand to establish a business relationship for the promotion of this products here in west africa and for mutual benefit of the both parties in a very near future.

Further to our previous mail as per transaction on hand we are pleased to bring to your kind understanding that there is a contract supply order of (Dresses, Skirts and Velvet Cloak) of which we have been pursuing for the passed 3 months now presently the pursuance is positively on progress.

In light of this develompent we want you to confirm if your company is now in position and capable to handle and satisfy this contract order supply to the NATIONAL ORIENTATION COMMISSION AGENCY worth US$4.5m for an execution period of two years.

It will benefit the both parties if we actualizing this contract in our favour and we have every possibility to win this contract if at all you will follow our advice and directives as to avoid any form of mistakes and we will be furnishing you all neccessary information regarding this contract.

Lastly, our company is one of the recognised importer, consultant, and distributors of general merchandise; and enjoying our good reputation through out the region. We want to assure you that we have every posibility to win this contract if only you will follow our instructions and directives as to avoid any form of mistake. What we need is a realiable company who knows the value of this opportunity and who can handle and satisfy this contract properly without failure.

Kindly confirm to us via telephone or in return email as to enable us pass you company name to the contract awarding authority (NOCA) for the contract.

It's a pleasure as we hope to build and crown this business with success.

We anticipate hearing from you again.
Best regards,
Kingsley Stone/director

I searched all the scam websites, Google etc for his name, the NOCA (long and short form) as well as the business name referred to on the IndiaBizClub website and found no references at all. I also went in search of everything I could find online about Togo. There is very little information available on the internet but then, as the government had its first election in April I was not really surprised. Most of the information I found was in French which is no good to me as I don't speak the language.

We continued to trade emails clarifying the nature of the garments and the structure of the deal. The structure of the deal was this:

I provide a letter of application stating that I am basically able to process this large an order and provide 2 price lists, one for Mr Stone and the other for the NOCA.

The price list for the NOCA was to have the prices inflated by 15%. Mr Stone would then collect 55% of the 15% inflated price as a commission. That turns into 8.25% which I was comfortable with. However, this subterfuge was completely unnecessary as all he had to do was stipulate an 8.25% commission which I was quite prepared to pay.

After the deal settled and I was paid, Mr Stone would then travel to Australia to meet with me, collect his 8.25% and also discuss other potential import deals. He even sent me a copy of his passport!

On 19/7 Mr Stone emailed me a scan of the purchase order for the number of articles for each item required.

I did ask for the original (quoting auditing requirements) but I never received it. I was then to provide a proper invoice to suit the purchase order. This was sent off within a few days of getting this image.

I also received an email from the contract committee board which had the terms and conditions of the deal spelled out in it.

"re: contract supply order n: noca/coa201811485/02-03-tg".

In due respect, we herein below notify your goodself the terms and condition of the contract n: noca/coa201811485/02-03-tg.

This terms and condition is made for the intending contract supplier to contract order n: noca/coa201811485/02-03tg, for the supply of "table dresses, skirts and velvet cloak" as stipulated for the execution of the contract order supply valued (us$4.5-million) of the forsaid commodities for two (2) years.

Terms and condition:

1. Upon the intending contract supplier being legally recognised as the registered assigned foriegn supplier to the contract, the (noca) shall not by any means enter into any other agreement with any company or to involve itself in any transaction with any agent or consultant or supplier at the same time, during the willing execution of the contract by the assigned contract supplier.

2. The supplier/seller is bind to supply the stated items valued us$4.5-million for supplying period of two years, and shall accomplish the supply of the contract order in good faith before the termination of the said period of time.

3. The supplier/seller is bind to supply the above contract products, in good condition; and unfailure to adhere this affidavit, shall they render themselves liable for prosecution.

4. Partial shipment and trans-shipment are allowed.

5. The intending seller/supplier is bind to maintain normalcy and honour the due purpose and right to which the contract is to be awarded in their favour as the foreign contract supplier.

6. The supplier/seller is bind to handle the contract fund us$4.5-million normally and maintain the principal motive, to which the contract fund us$4.5-million is to be made to them as the legal seller / supplier to the contract.

7. The total contract amount (us$4.5-million) shall be passed/made to the legal recognised seller/supplier in advance in cash via hundered percent (100%) telegraphic transfer; after the legal endorsement of the contract hard copy documents, and the legal approval of the contract in due favour of the intending seller/supplier, as required by the "ecowas contract control unit" contract procurment procedure.

8. After the requisite contract formalities, the basic and legal method of payment of this contract order n: noca/coa201811485/02-03-tg, shall be made within 48 working hours upon the finalisation of the contract formalities (modalities).

9. The contract supplier/beneficiary shall register with "ecowas contract control unit"here in togo west africa for the approval of the official contract documents for signing and the supplier/beneficiary is bind to maintain absolute normalcy and security regarding this two years, contract execution, and unfailure to adhere this affidavit; shall they render themselves liable for prosecution.

10. The legal recognised supplier/beneficiary is respectfullyreserved with right to utilise the contract fund for pay during manufacturing stages of the contract supplying order production, or whatsoever necessarily in relevant to this contract order supply upon the contract fund passed/remitted to the legal recognised/assigned supplier/beneficairy.

Thanks for your cordiality.

We remain,

Hon). Harrison komlan / secretary-general.
National orientation commission agency
general contract ad-hoc committee
"noca" coperate building
n44/45 rue de okam lome,
lome sud-est, republic of togo
tel: (228) 931-8918-fax: (228) 222-2252

I looked for the ECOWAS online and this appears to be a legitimate financial body operating in West Africa.

So, all was proceeding well and I, in the mean time, am researching suitable premises to lease, award wage structures, labour hire, industrial equipment costs, material suppliers, large scale postage options with Australia Post, all with a view to being able to set up my factory and begin manufacture within the shortest possible time. As these figures came in, I began to develop a costing model to see if I could indeed make it work.in short, yes I could, with profit to spare.

I also sent many details of the deal to the Australian Austrade department requesting that they help determine if the deal was legitimate or not. They remained of the opinion that it was a scam but could not identify where the sting was. My business partner and I spent a lot of time on the scam websites learning how the scams tend to operate and so far, this deal was not fitting in with any of the known scam models. (with the exception of the sending of the passport image)

Settlement
On 29/7 I received an email from Mr Stone inviting me to Acra, Ghana to sign the contract and get paid. This was a problem as I did not have a current passport (I don't need one), the money free to fly to West Africa, or the ability to take time off from work. I also did not want to place myself in a possible hostage situation. I emailed him back to say that I would be unable to make the journey due to work and health issues (both true) but if they could send me the contracts, I could sign them and courier them back.

Apparently this was against department procedure for the NOCA. The best they could offer was to have a solicitor appointed to act as my legal representative and sign the documents on my behalf. Mr Stone then provided me with contact details for Awosley & Brothers Chambers.

I contacted them and advised them of what I wanted them to do. Under no circumstances were they to sign anything until I had sighted it first and given the go ahead. They agreed to do this and advised that their fee for this service was USD$1500 with USD$500 payable in advance. There would also be a contract fee payable to the NOCA at signing but nobody would tell me how much this fee actually was.

Now, I was not about to send any money to anybody up front. I advised the Barrister that all his fees, including the tender fee would be paid at settlement from the proceeds of the contract payment and the subsequent funds transferred to me. I explained to him that this is the way business is done in Australia. He would not shift from his office procedure, even under my offer of doubling his fee.

I advised Mr Stone that I would not be able to do business with the solicitor he provided and could he please provide the contact details for a new solicitor. He encouraged me to resolve the situation with the solicitor so the deal could proceed.

In the end, I gave up and on 15/8 advised Mr Stone that due to the solicitor's stance on the advanced payment, the deal would not be proceeding. I also sent an email advising the solicitor that I was not happy with his conduct and that I held him personally responsible for the failure of settlement of an import deal worth USD$4.5million.

Summary

So, was it an advance fee scam? Perhaps. I suspect so, but I will let you be the judge. It would have been interesting to see how the deal would have played out if I did indeed go to Ghana for the signing.

My total investment in this failed deal was as follows:
Time approx 50 hours
Postage approx AUD$30
Bank Fees approx AUD$20
Fax costs approx AUD$40

What did I learn? Well, I realised that if the deal was legitimate, and I got the money in my hand, I could have actually pulled it off. It would have meant a change in career for me and a range of opportunities would have become available.

I also learned a lot more about the kinds of scams operating on the internet. I had my suspicions about this one from the start but figured if I treat it seriously, then I would be in a position to either act or learn from the research I had undertaken.

As for wether or not it was a scam, I believe it was an advance fee scam that was a good bit more sophisticated than the usual run of the mill scams. If it was a real deal, well, I am only down a little money and what I learned along the way was worth every cent.

Alex
Seaford Rise
Australia


Offender: Kingsley Stone

Country: Togo   State: Nationwide
Address: N0: 30 Rue Chemin De Fer
Phone: 2289264724

Category: Miscellaneous

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