To avoid China sourcing scams, a buyer may want a clearer record of who said what, which product version was discussed, which file was sent and what remains unknown. That is different from deciding that a company, message, invoice or request is fraudulent or legitimate. A source record does not establish scam, fraud, identity, supplier capability, payment safety, contract position, delivery or commercial outcome.
This article is general information. It does not identify, detect, investigate, validate, verify, clear, label, accuse, report, recommend, select, determine, predict, guarantee, approve, choose, contract, buy, order, pay, transfer, recover, price, sell, produce, ship, insure, import or decide scam, fraud, legitimacy, supplier capability, company identity, creditworthiness, product safety, compliance, test, certificate, quantity, cost, fee, tax, duty, carrier, route, customs action, delivery, sales, performance, legal position or commercial outcome.
Contents
- A short answer
- Why a risk signal is not a fraud finding
- Keep company supplier buyer and product sources separate
- Keep message sample specification and document sources separate
- Keep invoice payment contract and change-record sources separate
- Keep shipment party carrier destination and unknown sources separate
- Read FTC and Trade.gov material narrowly
- Build a risk-related source record
- What a sourcing team can and cannot do
- FAQs
A short answer
An avoid China sourcing scams workflow can organize company, contact, buyer, product, message, sample, document, invoice, payment, shipment and unknown sources. It cannot identify or decide a scam, fraud, legitimacy, supplier capability, payment, contract, quality, compliance, carrier, delivery, sales, performance or outcome.
Why a risk signal is not a fraud finding
An unexpected message, a changed contact detail, a missing record or a payment reference can be part of a discussion. The source does not establish intent, company identity, legitimacy, fraud, supplier capability, payment safety, contract position, delivery, sales, performance or commercial result.
A China sourcing risk checklist can organize stated sourcing sources. It does not identify a scam, verify a company, select a supplier, decide a payment, approve a contract, determine a delivery or promise an outcome.
Keep company supplier buyer and product sources separate
A company identity source, supplier contact record, buyer requirement source, product brief, public page reference or unknown source can preserve a stated name, address, product, date, message or gap. It does not establish scam, fraud, legitimacy, supplier capability, company identity, creditworthiness, product safety, compliance, quantity, cost, delivery, sales, performance or outcome.
A supplier verification record can organize stated supplier material. It does not verify a company, identify fraud, select a supplier, establish capability, approve a contract, decide a payment, delivery or result.
Keep message sample specification and document sources separate
A supplier message, sample record, product specification, document reference, packaging record or unknown source can preserve stated material. It does not establish scam, fraud, legitimacy, language accuracy, supplier capability, product meaning, quality, safety, compliance, certificate, quantity, cost, fee, delivery, sales, performance, legal position or outcome.
A sample approval record can preserve a stated sample source. It does not identify fraud, approve a supplier, product, quality, compliance, order, payment, shipment, delivery or result.
Keep invoice payment contract and change-record sources separate
An invoice reference, payment reference, contract reference, order record, bank detail, change record or unknown source can preserve stated commercial material. It does not establish scam, fraud, legitimacy, identity, creditworthiness, payment safety, contract position, product safety, compliance, quantity, cost, fee, tax, duty, delivery, sales, performance, legal position or outcome.
The FTC describes general small-business scam tactics that may include impersonation, urgency and payment demands.[1] This material does not decide whether a China supplier, invoice, contact or payment request is fraudulent or legitimate.
Keep shipment party carrier destination and unknown sources separate
A shipment-plan record, party/address field, carrier/route record, destination source or unknown source can preserve stated operational material. It does not establish scam, fraud, legitimacy, supplier capability, carrier, route, customs action, tax, duty, fee, cost, clearance, delivery, sales, performance, legal position or outcome.
A shipping documents record framework can keep operational documents visible. It does not decide a carrier, route, customs action, clearance, delivery or import result.
Read FTC and Trade.gov material narrowly
FTC material concerns U.S. small-business scam guidance. Trade.gov material concerns U.S. exporter due-diligence and partner-risk information. Neither source determines a China supplier, fraud, identity, product, payment, contract, transport or commercial matter.
Trade.gov describes due diligence and partner risk in a U.S. exporter context.[2] [3] These sources do not determine a China supplier, legitimacy, product, payment, contract, quality, compliance, carrier, route, customs action, delivery or outcome.
Company identity source, supplier contact record, buyer requirement source, product brief, supplier message, sample record, product specification, document reference, invoice reference, payment reference, shipment-plan record, party/address field, carrier/route record and unknown source are source records. They do not establish scam, fraud, legitimacy, supplier capability, company identity, creditworthiness, product safety, compliance, test, certificate, quantity, cost, fee, tax, duty, carrier, route, customs action, delivery, sales, performance, legal position or outcome.
Build a risk-related source record
This table is a discussion aid. It keeps a stated risk-related source visible without converting it into a fraud finding, legitimacy conclusion, supplier selection, payment, contract, delivery or commercial result.
| Discussion area | Source or stated field | What the source record preserves | What the source does not establish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company and product | Company identity, contact, buyer or product source | Stated party or product source | Identity, legitimacy, capability, outcome |
| Supplier and sample | Supplier message, sample, specification | Stated sourcing material | Fraud, understanding, approval, result |
| Documents and payments | Invoice, payment, contract, order or change reference | Stated commercial source | Payment safety, contract position, cost, outcome |
| Shipment and party | Shipment plan, party/address, carrier or route record | Stated operational source | Carrier, route, customs, delivery, outcome |
| Destination and unknowns | Destination source, missing or conflicting source | Stated source and gap | Requirement, legal position, outcome |
What a sourcing team can and cannot do
Yes Supplier can organize product, supplier, sample, packaging, label, carton and operational shipment source records. Supplier sourcing support can keep supplier material in a structured discussion. This support does not provide fraud, supplier-verification, credit, payment, legal, compliance, customs, cost, transport, delivery, sales, performance or outcome advice. It does not identify a scam, verify a company, approve a supplier, payment or contract, determine delivery or promise a result.
Qualified anti-fraud, buyer, product, supplier, legal, regulatory, compliance, customs, tax, accounting, finance, insurance, banking, payment, logistics, freight, carrier, warehouse, destination-market and marketplace professionals must determine actual matters and outcomes.
FAQs
Does an unexpected supplier message prove a scam?
An unexpected supplier message is a source record. It does not establish scam, fraud, intent, company identity, legitimacy, supplier capability, payment safety, contract position, delivery, sales, performance or outcome.
Does an invoice reference prove a payment request is legitimate?
An invoice reference is a source record. It does not establish scam, fraud, company identity, legitimacy, creditworthiness, payment safety, contract position, cost, fee, delivery, sales, performance or outcome.
Does a company webpage prove a supplier is safe to use?
A company webpage is a source record. It does not establish scam, fraud, company identity, legitimacy, supplier capability, quality, compliance, product safety, payment, delivery, sales, performance or outcome.
References
[1] FTC: Scams and your small business