RIYADH, 21 May — The Nigerian Embassy here has warned Saudi businessmen that they risk being approached by fraudsters from the country.
Maroof Lawal, a spokesman at the embassy, told Arab News yesterday that a group of Nigerian con men claiming to be agents of the Debt Management Office (DMO) are out to fleece local businesses.
“As a result, we are informing Saudi businesses and other locally based companies that the DMO has no agent responsible for conducting financial transactions on its behalf here in the Kingdom,” Lawal said.
He advised all Saudis and expatriates to verify the credentials of any Nigerian company, business or individual before entering into a business deal with them.
The well-organized Nigerian gang has sent out over 2,000 letters and e-mails to Saudi businessmen offering investment in oil deals, share purchases, real estate and textiles.
This comes in the wake of several cases of similar kinds of fraud in the Kingdom.
A Nigerian fraudster, Dr. H. Bell, claiming to represent the National Petroleum Corporation, sent out a business proposal to a local businessman offering to transfer to his bank account $30 million as a reward for entering into a business deal.
Dr. Bell claimed that he and one of his colleagues involved in the deal would come to the Kingdom to arrange for the money to be deposited.
In another proposal received by a Saudi businessman, a Nigerian who claimed to be a top official at the Nigeria Contract Review Panel professed an interest in importing goods from Saudi Arabia with funds that are presently trapped in Nigeria.
This fraud came to light when the Jeddah-based company lost $17,000 after signing a deal to import timber and honey.
Neither the honey nor the timber reached Saudi Arabia.
Asked about measures undertaken by the Saudi authorities to protect and educate Saudi businessmen, a chamber official told Arab News that a guidebook has been issued for those traveling to do business in Nigeria.
The legal department of the local chamber of commerce and industry has also issued public warnings about swindlers who originate from African countries.
The fraudsters are well organized and continuously send e-mails and proposals in their attempts to dupe local businessmen, despite the Nigerian government taking stringent measures to combat fraud.
Nigeria established a presidential task force to combat fraud, trade defaults and the illegal minting of convertible currencies way back in 1992.
