They must be particularly cautious in their dealings with “Dutch” internet companies, Greek companies as noted in its informational documents to the chambers of commerce by the Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs of the Greek Embassy in The Hague.
These cases concern fraud involving the alleged sale, primarily of machinery, by companies that do not actually exist, which are presented online. They also share common characteristics and elements, a fact that likely indicates the involvement of the same individuals in these cases.
Specifically, various “Dutch” companies, which misappropriate the data of entirely legitimate Dutch companies, such as addresses or even details of their registration with the country’s Chamber of Commerce.
In some cases, The names of the fictitious companies are similar to those of legitimate companies. In two cases, in fact, the shell companies used the same actual warehouse address of a legitimate company—which was unaware of this fact—as the address of their supposed warehouses. This warehouse is located at Lindeboomseweg 15 B, 3828 NG Hoogland.
The above use of the same piece of information (warehouse address) by two seemingly different «companies,» as well as certain telephone numbers that match except for the last digits (beginning with 337-44-00- in two cases), indicates a connection between these cases. There is also an (apparent) geographical concentration of these companies, as the fictitious companies, based on their alleged addresses, are located in the Utrecht (Amersfoort) and North Holland.
These are the following companies:
– 365 GLOBAL EQUIPMENT (https://365-global-equipment.com)
– De BAU https://debaumachines.com/
– 248 International (parent company: 248 International Ltd., Bulgaria – see website http://248inter.com/)
– Stam Machinery (has appropriated part of the trade name of the legitimate company Stam Bouwmachines B.V.)
The Economic and Commercial Office notes that it has informed the relevant Dutch authorities; however, according to the latter, for them to take action, a complaint must be filed by the victim.. «Therefore, we recommend that Greek companies exercise particular caution when doing business with “Dutch” online companies, no matter how legitimate their information may appear. Four such cases have already been reported to our Office within a single month,» states the Economic and Commercial Office.
It is emphasized that Greek companies should contact the Economic and Commercial Affairs Office before entering into such a partnership, so that, to the extent possible, of course, to verify whether their potential partner’s company is legally established.
Finally, it should be noted that, in order to verify the existence of a company, it is helpful to know its registration number with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK) (Kamer van Koophandel – KvK), and therefore Greek companies should request this information from the Dutch companies with which they intend to collaborate.
A Dutch “company” that is supposedly active in the food industry
In addition, the Economic and Commercial Office in The Hague stated in a letter that on the Internet (https://argentradeinternationalbv.com/) a Dutch “company” is presented, which is supposedly active in the food sector (nuts, oils, beverages, confectionery, etc.), with the following contact information:
Company Name: Argentrade,
Managing Director: Levis Barris
Website: https://argentradeinternationalbv.com/
Email: contact@argentradeinternationalbv.com
Main Office Address: Veerhaven 4, 3016 CJ Rotterdam, Netherlands
Tel: +31 9700 5031 268
WhatsApp: +31 616 911 902
VAT:NL802155583B01
KVK:24,237,237
However, as an investigation by the Economic and Commercial Office in The Hague has revealed, this “company” has, to a very large extent, misappropriated the contact information belonging to a fully legitimate company (namely, Argentrade International B.V., which is engaged in the wholesale of meat). Specifically, they have misappropriated its name, mailing address, and registration number with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK), while its website and email address are also similar to those of the legitimate company. As a result, at first glance, one might get the impression that this is a genuine, legitimate company.
Exporters are therefore advised that, in case of any doubts regarding a Dutch company with which they intend to do business, they should contact the Economic and Commercial Office in The Hague.
More information
Economic and Commercial Office in The Hague
Hours (Greek time): 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Phone: (003170)3561199
FAX: (003170)3615747
Email: ecocom-hague@mfa.gr
Reminder
Finally, the relevant information document notes that a company’s registration in a chamber of commerce’s registry and the availability of contact information (address, phone number, fax, e-mail) do not constitute a guarantee of solvency, nor do they ensure smooth cooperation with the company. Both imports and exports are secured only by a precise description of the terms of the transaction (price, quantity, shipment date, shipping costs, method of payment, and handling of defective products) and by issuing a letter of credit, which in the case of exports must be an irrevocable letter of credit (irrevocable letter of credit).
Any other method of transaction involves serious risk and should therefore be avoided. In particular, advance payments should be avoided for imports, while for exports, they should only be accepted for the entire transaction after they appear in your bank account (and not based on a deposit slip). If you decide to conduct the transaction in a different manner, it is recommended that you minimize the risk by insuring the transaction (import/export insurance).
