ATTENTION: SCAMMERS ARE NOW USING .COM.AU WEBSITE ADDRESSES!

ADVICE HAS BEEN UPDATED TO NO LONGER RELY ON .COM.AU WEBSITE AND EMAIL ADDRESSES AS BEING A LEGITMATE SOURCE.

I’m running this site as a public service. Looking to verify my claims on this site? Do a Google search for “shipping container scams Australia” and see the messages from legitimate sellers. Also check news articles about the scams from Australian newspapers:

Australian News March 2023
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-28/shipping-container-scam-accc-calls-on-government-to-act/102149178

Australian Financial Review: https://www.afr.com/companies/manufacturing/more-than-1m-lost-by-punters-lured-by-scammers-using-google-facebook-20210802-p58f78

ABC News: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-02/shipping-container-scam-hits-bendigo-business/100428840

And here is an article about how useless Facebook Marketplace is https://www.propublica.org/article/facebook-grew-marketplace-to-1-billion-users-now-scammers-are-using-it-to-target-people-around-the-world

Shipping Container Scams Australia is set up to get information to people as soon as possible about how to show smartly.

TIPS TO AVOID SHIPPING CONTAINER SCAMS

 

  1. Do not Buy from Facebook.
    Most scam operators are using Facebook advertising to reach their targets. Do not buy only from a Facebook messenger conversation. Get the landline number, do your research – ask what company it is, ask for a copy of the business certificate, do Google searchers.
  2. GET 3 QUOTES to compare! Ask when you are getting quotes if they have heard of the other “businesses” you are considering. Legitimate operations will usually be honest and advise if they think you are getting legitimate quotes. If one quote is far lower than the others, it raises alarm bells!
  3. Do a Google search and call the local Australian number (with area code)
    International scammers can fake Australian numbers through services like VOIP. Check the area code, or even better make sure who you buy off has a 1300 or 1800 phone number which requires business documents to obtain. Know your area codes! Often the international numbers that are VOIP have the wrong area code to match the phone number.
    NSW: (02)
    QLD: (07)
    VIC: (03)
    WA: (08)
  4. Check the legitimacy of the website address through WHOIS.
    Has the domain been around for less than a year? Red Flag. Is the domain registered overseas? Red Flag. Is the website hosted overseas? Red Flag. A few red flags and you need to question. Check the whois of this website for red flags similar.
  5. Google Ads and Facebook Ads cannot be trusted.
    There is NO vetting process for advertising. One can create a fake website and run Google search paid advertisements and Facebook paid advertisements within the hour. There are NO checks into legitimacy, and there is no problem using stolen credit card and paypal details to pay for it.
  6. Be mindful of “reviews” websites.
    Scam sites are spamming legitimate review sites and also creating their own fake reviews websites (one site is bonafiedreviews.com). Make sure you look at multiple review sites and also try looking for scams.
  7. Take the time to read some pages on the seller website.
    As basic as it sounds, people are now used to jumping straight to the contact form. You can’t take those short cuts with these scams around. Read the pages on the sites, often the scam sites will be rushed and will have wrong business names and locations mentioned throughout their pages (particularly about page, privacy policy page). Take some time to read.
  8. Search the business name on Google.
    Any business that has been around for some time will have mentions across a range of websites like yellow pages, white pages, local directory sites etc.
  9. Buy from .com.au websites. OUTDATED (See below update!)
    Australian domains require proof of Australian business registration. The process is much more rigorous than .com sites that anyone can get. NOTE: Scammers have found providers that are lazy in their checks and are now picking up .com.au email and website addresses – you CANNOT TRUST this indicator alone anymore.
  10. Look at the emails and website addresses closely. OUTDATED (See below update!)
    Reputable shipping container sellers that claim to be nationwide do not operate from Gmail accounts, even if they are working from home. They will operate from a .com.au email address that is the same as the business name. NOTE: Scammers have found providers that are lazy in their checks and are now picking up .com.au email and website addresses – you CANNOT TRUST this indicator alone anymore.
  11. Facebook marketplace is not a reliable place to buy shipping containers or to get referrals.
    Although there are some legitimate sellers, the amount of scammers are massive and Facebook doesn’t respond to removals.
  12. Request official Australian document proof of business.
    Shipping Containers cost thousands of dollars, request their business registration certificate or other recognised Australian certificate showing proof of business – not just an ABN. Any legitimate business will obtain a current copy of the certificate for you easily and willingly without hassle.
  13. Don’t trust your opinion on accents.
    Not all scammers have Indian or African accents (though in this case a lot do) – the scammers also have Australian, New Zealander and English mules making calls for them.

Know the facts

1. Many people think bank transfers are protected – they aren’t. Your bank will not be able to recover your funds in 95% of cases and you will not be refunded from the bank.

2. Many people think that the police can track down the scammers – they can’t. The operations are so complex and run internationally, your local police are limited. Do still report to police ASAP as this will help you gain legitimacy when reporting to other places.

3. Want to know how these scams work across the world, and how they are organised? Here is a great article that overviews the whole thing – https://blog.aa419.org/cameroonian-fraud-taxonomy/

4. The Police need to know about it – they do! Here is Interpol: https://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-Events/News/2020/5-reasons-non-delivery-scams-work

5. Shippingcontainerscamsaustralia.com is registered domain and hosted through the same provider many of the scammers use.
If you run a whois on the website, the information would be raising alarms. This is done intentionally so I can report scams quicker to their support (as a customer) and to show an example of how easy is it to set something up quick and cheaply. If I was claiming to be a nation wide business I am pretty sure I would invest more than $3 per month which is what this site is costing me.

More coming soon…