H.W.St. John & Co. Warns Customers About Fraud Alert
Long Island, New York (PRWEB) August 24, 2014 -- Long Island-based freight forwarders H.W. St. John & Co. are passing on a warning to all clients who may be involved in the importing of rough diamonds from abroad. A recent warning from the federal government means that companies need to be extra diligent in terms of imports or they could lose money to fraudulent diamond dealers.
Recently the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol issued a warning in regards to the use of fraudulent Kimberly Process Certificates to represent fake stones as rough diamonds for sale. The countries in question where these fraudulent activities have emanated from include Sierre Leone, Ghana and Guinea. In one case, individuals were invited to Sierra Leone to view rough diamonds that were later proved to be fake. Individuals who made the trip were provided fraudulent Kimberly Process documents stating the diamonds were real. The fraudulent documents, numbered Sierra Leone 004199 issued in either April or May 2014, were discovered along with other variations of this certificate that were put into circulation recently. The federal government is urging diamond merchants and importers to be extremely cautious with all rough diamond purchases over the coming months.
The Kimberly Process, along with the certificates used in the process, were introduced as official in 2003 after three years of discussions by international bodies seeking to prevent rough diamonds being sold to finance terror or violence. The diamonds in question, which often emanate from countries experience long and violent periods of inner conflict and revolution, are referred to as ‘conflict diamonds.’ Conflict diamonds are diamonds that have been mined within a specific country and then sold with the profits of these sales going to finance groups and individuals dedicated to revolution and the toppling of democratically elected governments.
H.W.St. John & Co. is committed to not only helping their clients get their cargo’s shipped on time and on budget but also to be aware of all of the legal aspects and issues that may affect the clients business. It is this commitment to service that enables H.W.St. John & Co. to consistently rise above their competitors in terms of service and satisfaction. Ask these questions and more regarding freight forwarding by calling H.W. St. John & Company or visit http://www.hwstjohn.com.
Kristin Hanel, H.W. St. John & Company, http://www.hwstjohn.com, +1 (516) 596-4000, [email protected]
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