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Tendai Chara
Social media platforms are increasingly being used by bogus freight agents to trawl for impressionable clients, especially from the Diaspora, most of whom are being duped of their hard-earned money and merchandise.
Well-organised syndicates are camping on social media and carefully picking out their victims.
Freight agents are ordinarily independent contractors that help connect shippers with carriers willing to haul freight.
They usually work for a freight broker.
It is believed that some goods destined for Zimbabwe, particularly from China and South Africa, are not reaching their destination.
In worst cases, their owners have lost both money and valuables.
“After making enquiries here in China on whom I could approach for shipping services, I was given, by a colleague, contact details for a Harare-based company. After submitting my goods and making payment for shipment back home, the person I was dealing with started avoiding me,” narrated one of the victims, Ottilia, to The Sunday Mail Society.
The China-based Zimbabwean student lost both the money and goods.
Using the information she gave us and details from the company’s website, we tried to contact local offices of the supposed freight company but to no avail.
The company’s agents were only identified as Brandon and Patience.
“I later learned that I had been scammed. According to my colleagues this side, the bogus agents periodically change their contact details after swindling a number of people,” she added.
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra)’s head of corporate communications Mr Francis Chimanda confirmed the worrying trend.
“We have had cases in which people who are not licensed by Zimra are duping unsuspecting importers by pretending to be registered agents,” Mr Chimanda said.
He, however, said such cases were much more pervasive during the multi-currency era. “… like I said, the loss of revenue was high during the multi-currency era. As of now, we cannot ascertain how much is being lost. But to curb the illegal activities, Zimra has introduced an automation licensing system in which all stations can verify the credentials of any registered agent.
“Zimra has also developed electronic payment systems for payment of duties and has also introduced identification access cards for use by registered agents entering the customs area.”
There are numerous reports of Zimbabweans based in the Diaspora that are losing their hard-earned money and goods to phoney freight agents.
Most of the companies that were identified as being responsible for the crimes are not registered.
“Dubious clearing agents have been in operation for a long time now. It is only that they have become more brazen,” reckons Mr Joseph Musariri, the chief executive officer of the Shipping and Forwarding Agents Association of Zimbabwe (SFAAZ).
“By law, clearing agents must be qualified and then get a licence from Zimra. The majority of those that are not delivering the goods are not registered and, therefore, licensed,” he said.
Each year, according to laws that govern operations of the shipping and forwarding sector, shipping agents must be cleared and licensed by Zimra. It is believed that some of the bogus clearing agents are registered with some local shipping and forwarding associations.
“For whatever reasons, some of the associations are seemingly interested in having more members and are not taking their time to scrutinise potential members. As a result, they end up having registered yet bogus agencies,” argued Mr Musariri.
SFAAZ has 140 registered members.
Mr George Mushore, president of the Zimbabwe International Freight Forwarding Association (ZIFFA), claims that some of the bogus clearing and shipping agents are leveraging on their knowledge of clearing procedures at ports of entry to dupe their victims.
“Some individuals are conversant with the operations at our borders and are therefore taking advantage of that knowledge to rip off unsuspecting clients,” he said.
Most of the bogus agents operate from Beitbridge Border Post, where travellers are often tricked into surrendering cash and other valuables.
Mr Mushore said apart from notifying the police about the presence of bogus forwarders, there is nothing else that his association can do to curb the problem.
“We can only alert the police about the existence of bogus forwarding agents. I urge those that are in the Diaspora to make thorough checks and to get solid confirmation on the individuals they will be dealing with. . .
“The checking points are causing long queues. I was part of a team which was tasked with coming up with recommendations for ease of doing business on trading across borders and one of the recommendations was to reduce the checking points at Beitbridge,” he said.
Some of the associations that represent the interests of forwarding and shipping agents in Zimbabwe are the Indigenous Shipping and Forwarding Association of Zimbabwe and the International Freight and Forwarding Agents of Zimbabwe.
Online Reporter