Scam involving fenders

Legal

Published: 11 November 2014

Correspondents advise that there has been a recent scam attempt to claim that marine equipment is approved and certified by Australia's AMSA.

The Association is grateful to correspondents Ausship P&I for contributing to this update.

The situation

Australia's AMSA has released a news release to warn against a scam which uses a falsified AMSA crest and stamp to endorse rubber fenders.

AMSA has clarified that it does not carry out testing or issue approval certification in support of commercial marketing or products.

Furthermore the alleged manufacturer in Sydney does not exist.

Loss prevention advice

The Association has previously advised in detail on the myriad of schemes and devices used for fraud in the maritime industry.

The Association would again reiterate the need to carefully exercise due diligence at all times, and that red flags include purported endorsements from third parties like government organisations and new or unknown counterparties.

Simple checks like seeking to verify the existence of a purported supplier, by picking up the telephone, can help to mitigate against these risks.

In case of doubt, local shipping agents or club correspondents can also help to quickly check and verify local information.

If any member has been offered these fenders, they are asked to contact their Business unit at Skuld.