FAKE BILLS OF LADING

Some fraudsters are capable of forging bulls of lading using high quality color photocopiers that can reproduce even the printed logo of the carrier. These fake bulls of lading are usually sued in persuading buyers or bank to pay for non-existent cargo. This practice can be prevented if the innocent parties check the name and movement of the vessel named on the bill of lading. In 1989, Security Investigation Service of London reported a number of cases of this type of fraud. For example, "cargoes" of Nigerian oil described in bills of lading exceeded the tonnage of vessels supposed to be carrying the oil.