Things to do to avoid these scams:

1.- Always contact your country's embassy in Moscow for help on screening Russian sellers and documents.

2.- Ask your embassy to recommend a local lawyer to screen and verify any document that you receive from the Seller/Moscow.

3.- Serious, reputable Sellers, usually offer his Buyers, NON-NEGOTIABLE Procedures. If you find a Seller that accepts and adjust his Procedures to any Buyer's request; please be aware that the Seller could be a Scammer and he's amming to ask you for money in advance.

There is no scam without a Bank. Check the seller's bank listed on the contract. Bank uses their own mail server so if given bank email address shows a different mail server then be concerned. Call the bank. Bank officer should use a land line for their phone number not cell phone

Serious and successful Sellers should not have any need to collect Transneft fees upfront from you once you show then preliminary proof of fund via MT199/MT799 or soft probe. Only scammers want to see your money first, because their business is to collect these fees, not to sell oil. Furthermore, once you send them one payment, they tell you that they have a quota and that you need to send them more deals before they can accept your Pre-advice SBLC or issue PB.

Even if you ask them to sign a promissory note to return the money in case of non-performance, they will do it because you have no way of collecting that money back from them.

Do not accept any document from these people unless you have a way of verifying it independently. They are master forgeurs for all sort of refinery and government documents.

They use a lot of Seller's mandate all of over the world to bring them business. The Russian mandates are part of the scam but foreign mandates are usually innocent victims who think that they are representing a legitimate Russian seller.

The real test is for you to get a copy of their procedure (SCO), they all require upfront fee from the Buyer for Transneft fee before they issue PB, POP, or show any product or SGS report or proof of previous deals where that have actually ship any oil to anybody.

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Thank you very much.

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Regards

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Luis E. Torres

Executive Sales Manager

ALS INT. TRADES-PLUS LTD.

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