International Goods Procurement Fraud Case
Case Overview:
Mr. Li, a client, found a supplier on an international trade platform that claimed to sell wholesale goods and reached an agreement for procurement. The supplier provided detailed product information and quotations, promising to ship the goods immediately upon receiving the advance payment. Mr. Li paid a 30% advance (totaling $100,000) according to the agreement. However, after the payment, the supplier became unreachable, the platform could not be contacted, and the order was not shipped. Mr. Li attempted to contact the supplier and the platform through multiple channels, but received no response.
Legal Response:
Consultation and evidence collection:
After discovering that he had been scammed, Mr. Li immediately contacted Max International Law Firm. The legal team had an initial discussion with Mr. Li to understand the details of his transaction. Mr. Li provided all relevant emails, order confirmations, payment receipts, and communication records with the supplier. After analysis, the lawyers determined that the platform was likely a disguised scam website and decided to conduct a thorough investigation.
Max International Law Firm first assisted Mr. Li in organizing all the evidence, including email correspondence, screenshots of the website, payment records, and the contract details with the platform. The legal team emphasized that the key to the case was identifying the true identity of the supplier and verifying whether the platform had a legitimate registration background.
Investigation of the supplier and platform background:
The team at Max International Law Firm began conducting a thorough background investigation on the platform and the supplier. Through due diligence on the supplier, the lawyers discovered that it was not registered with the International Chamber of Commerce and lacked any relevant business licenses or valid company information. The company details provided by the supplier were incomplete, and the website showed clear signs of forgery. Additionally, the platform's registration information for its functional variable names was anonymous, and it closely matched many similar scam cases.
Max International Law Firm further investigated the flow of funds paid by Mr. Li and found that the money had been transferred to multiple overseas accounts and quickly dispersed. The legal team realized that the funds had likely been moved to accounts in various countries, making tracking more complex.
Cross-border recovery and litigation preparation:
Max International Law Firm further investigated the flow of funds paid by Mr. Li and discovered that the money had been transferred to multiple overseas accounts and rapidly dispersed. The legal team realized that the funds had likely been moved to accounts in various countries, complicating the tracking process.
Through international law enforcement cooperation, Max International Law Firm helped freeze part of the funds and initiated a cross-border lawsuit against the platform and the supplier. The lawyers also kept Mr. Li informed about the progress of the case, explaining the complexities of cross-border recovery cases, and helped him assess the legal procedures and risks in different jurisdictions.
Legal procedures and litigation enforcement:
Max International Law Firm's team filed a lawsuit through the international court, demanding the platform and supplier return Mr. Li's funds. Throughout the litigation process, Max International Law Firm maintained communication with law enforcement agencies in multiple countries to ensure the case proceeded smoothly. The lawyers also advised Mr. Li to file a complaint with the consumer protection agency in his country and assisted him in preparing relevant legal materials to strengthen his legal standing in the case.
Through extensive cooperation, Max International Law Firm successfully traced part of the funds and reported the latest progress of the case to Mr. Li. After several months of litigation and investigation, the firm successfully recovered part of the losses through international judicial cooperation, totaling approximately $50,000.
Case Outcome:
Although Mr. Li was unable to recover all the funds, after Max International Law Firm's relentless efforts, he successfully recovered $50,000 in losses. Through the platform's functional variable names and the tracing of the funds' flow, part of the fraud syndicate's information was uncovered. This case further led to the platform being shut down by regulatory authorities in multiple countries, and several members of the fraud syndicate were blacklisted.
