Commercial Seafood Scam

Con artists hit seafood companies globally

Worldwide
Thursday, March ten, 2011, 02:20 (GMT + nine)

All through the final 5 a long time, a Chilean few has swindled several seafood importers all all around the planet.

In Canada, Britain, Russia, Romania, Spain, New Zealand, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand, Moldova and a lot of other countries, seafood importers and traders have been defrauded.

Chilean authorities look to be negligent of the issue as they have allowed the scammers to run freely.

The authorities were made informed of the hustlers as they have been once sent prior to the courts, but no charges were put versus them, even with their scams harming the track record of the Chilean seafood business.

The couple at fault, Alex Villanueva Mansilla and Maria Angelica Jimenez Almonacid, at the moment proceed to dupe seafood importers and traders about the planet.
This is one of two photographs of Alex Villanueva Mansilla that have been found, which he used on a facebook profile.

The firm Transmex Trading Pte Ltd, in Singapore, sent an advance of USD eleven,000 to Sociedad Comercial Seafood Buying and selling Chile Ltd. for a shipment of seafood on 29 September 2004.

The fish was infact in no way sent and as a result, the transaction had to be composed off as a reduction by Transmex Trading.

This is the 1st scam that Kystmagasinet knew about, even so, this does not necessarily indicate that Transmex Buying and selling was Mansilla and Almonacid´s 1st victim.

Similarly, in 2005 the company Maguro Ltd. from Moscow, ordered a container of seafood.

A total of USD 6,200 was transferred as component payment for the order and when again, the fish was never ever delivered and the money was lost.

Because then, the scam has continued to increase in dimensions every single yr, as much more and a lot more businesses have been conned.

In an e-mail sent by Renat Gabudullin of Maguro Ltd, it states that: “I sent a down payment of all around USD 6200, but in no way received the goods.”

“I also later discovered out the same happened when a British company bought seafood from the identical Chilean firm,” he continued to proclaim.

“They compensated close to GBP 20,000 and representatives from the firm approached Villanueva and his household in Chile. They also involved a lawyer, but the outcome remained detrimental,” concluded Gabudullin.

In the course of the summer of very last year, it was the Canadian business Breakers Fish Company Ltd. in Vancouver, that was lured into the trap.

They purchased seafood from South Sea Organization Ltda with an address Santiago in Chile, with the organization becoming fronted by a person named Edward Grunewald.

According to Chris Richards of the Canadian company, they compensated CAD seventy five,000 in advance for a shipment of rainbow trout and other fish.

Virtually concurrently did International Foods Investing Inc. in Kiev, Ukraine, acquire a container with headless gutted rainbow trout.

“The price was USD 126,960, we agreed to pay out thirty per cent upfront, which was a total of USD 38,958,” Vladimir Tsymbal of Global Foods Buying and selling Inc. told Kystmagasinet.

“We compensated in June, however so far we have not seen any of the fish. And the so-named Edward Grunewald does not reply possibly to our phone calls or emails,” Tsymbal continued.

6 months have handed and they are even now waiting for the fish, which they bought from Congelados del Sur EIRL, in Puerto Montt, Chile.

In June last yr, Alex Villanueva Mansilla stole at minimum USD 150,000 from numerous seafood businesses, though that figure could be a lot higher.

Other particular amounts that Kystmagasinet uncovered is the USD 30,500 paid by the New Zealand firm Shore Mariner Ltd, from Auckland.

In addition to a Moldovan firm that paid USD 10,870 in advance for a shipment of hake.

The organization Sociedad Seafood Trading Chile Ltda was published on a list of organizations ProChile proposed investing partners for a substantial amount of time.

ProChile is a public relations agency fronted by the federal government, not as opposed to the Norwegian Export Council (which is now part of Innovation Norway).

It is operated by the Directorate for Worldwide Economic Affairs, which is the part of Chile’s foreign ministry.

Nevertheless inquiries to them about the pursuits of Alex Villanueva Mansilla and Maria Angelica Jimenez Almonacid have remained unanswered.

Meanwhile, importers and traders have been robbed of large quantities, which is likely to be in the millions. What Kystmagasinet understands, is that this most probable just the suggestion of the iceberg.

In the direction of the finish of 2007 the Russian firm Baltref Solutions Ltd filed a lawsuit in opposition to Alex Villanueva Mansilla and his female companion.

The Court of Puerto Montt ruled in January 2008 that he had to repay the full quantity of USD 27.000 which he had stolen from Baltref Companies.

Nonetheless, he has nonetheless not compensated them back again, but has instead resumed operations beneath new names.

The notion seems to be that when the legal penalties of fraud in opposition to businesses is outside of Chile, there is no cause not to continue.

As a outcome of the trial, Alex Villanueva Mansilla and his business, was sooner or later removed from the listing of seafood exporters printed by ProChile.

But he and his feminine friend have come up with new names: Congelados del Sur, South Sea Ltda, South Sea Chile Limitada, Sociedad Seafood Buying and selling Chile Ltda, Oxean Fisch, Congelados Patagonia Limitada and Ocean Fish Chile, are just some of the names he has operated below.
A Ukrainian company paid an advance of much more than USD 38,000, as made obvious in this bill.

Some companies have been registered, although others have not. In correspondence with the &quotcustomers&quot, Villanueva Mansilla has acted as Edward Grunewald, Carlos Red, Edison B. Reyes Francisco Velasques, John Steven M., and numerous other identies.

Every single time he has subsequent the identical pattern, speak to is established with a possible purchaser and photos and info relating to the item are forwarded.

Then, an agreement to submit 1 or a lot more containers with seafood is entered into, claiming that the shipment will be sent when approximately one particular 3rd of the worth is paid in advance.

The down payment is then sent by the purchaser, but the seafood is by no means sent.

Documents that Kystmagasinet has obtained shows that he even billed for an independent inspection of the seafood.

The aim is no other than creating the entire deal glimpse like a critical transaction.

In the circumstance of Maguro Ltd, they were presented with an &quotair waybill&quot that confirmed the shipment.

They then transferred the payment and when the payment arrived, the &quotair waybill” was canceled.

When compensated shipents do not show up, or valid shipping paperwork are not received by the purchasers, Alex Villanueva Mansilla then utilizes numerous excuses for what has gone incorrect and promises that the items will be sent.

Time passes, and when purchasers start off to shed persistence, he plays on this. Right away he is accused of cheating and fraud, he states that the funds will be withheld to cover the costs and damages in connection with a libel lawsuit.

He argues to have been molested when it is alleged that he is a fraudster, as company right after firm has been led into the identical trap.
Kystmagasinet has cause to feel that the number of scams are now quickly approaching fifty, and they are sitting on the expertise of eighteen particular cases.

Breakers Fish Firm Ltd. contacted the Canadian police for help and South Sea S.A. very first denied getting any connection in the direction of Alex Villanueva Mansilla.

When he was created mindful that he has a facebook profile declaring South Sea as his employer, and with the firm’s telephone amount as his very own, the profile was speedily erased.
South Sea S.A. gave the scammer an office at their workplace, but when the company defrauded a Canadian company, they denied any information of Alex Villanueva Mansilla.

Breakers Fish Business Ltd. had transferred money to an account that appeared to belong to the woman Maria Angelica Jimenez Almonacid.

She has been Villanueva Mansilla’s accomplice for several a long time, she is in Chile registered with a number of companies that are allegedly engaged in the export of, among other things, developing components.

Breakers Fish Firm Ltd. knowledgeable the Chilean business that they had contacted the Canadian police, who had stated that they would consider the make any difference more with the help of Interpol.

On fifteen September, local media in Puerto Montt wrote that Alex Villanueva Mansilla had turned up at the nearby police station to allow them know that bogus rumors have been set out in opposition to him.

South Sea Organization S.A., had according to him not manufactured any agreements, offered nearly anything, or received any funds from Breakers Fish Company Ltd.

The latter can infact be confirmed, as the payment was transferred to his female friend’s account.

Chris Richards at Breaker Fish Business Ltd is puzzled about the attitudes of the two ProChile and organizations like SalmonChile, with the latter being an organization for Chilean salmon organizations.

“It seems as although they will not react, and for that reason basically shield him (Alex Villanueva Mansilla) by undertaking absolutely nothing.”

He also believes that the swindlers are about to give seafood exporters in Chile, a tattered status.

It was early 2007 when they warned towards Villanueva Mansilla and Maria Angelica Jimenez Almonacid on a Chilean net web site.

The first rip-off Kystmagasinet uncovered was completed in 2005, considering that then a number of reviews have been printed by FIS and neighborhood media in Chile, between others.

There are a number of warnings posted on a variety of World wide web websites, including a YouTube video warning other seafood businesses about the swindlers.

How is it feasible for the pair to make get in touch with with seafood importers across the world? The solution is of course the world wide web.

They have posted data on a broad assortment of web sites like trade sites such as www.alibaba.com and www.fis.com.

They also use these web sites, and also the Norwegian internet site Intrafish to glimpse for possible purchasers.

On Alibaba.com and FIS, Alex Villanueva Mansilla signed up once more and yet again with diverse firms, many of which are nevertheless registered, but swiftly marked with a warning.

On the web, he offers consignments at acceptable prices, but not so sensible that prospective buyers discover suspicious.

As lengthy as the Chilean authorities do not look for him, they not treatment about his enterprise and so new businesses go on to be defrauded.

Even though Alex Villanueva Mansilla to begin with presented marine fish and shellfish, it now appears as the primary focus is on salmon and trout.

The con artist has invested and worked tough to defraud purchasers of trout and salmon.

The reason becoming that this is the segment with the greatest number of customers.

Most businesses have created off the amounts they have paid as a reduction, as it expenses as well a lot to use attorneys to reclaim the income.

When the swindlers lastly went to court, they had been informed to repay the income to 1 of the businesses they had defrauded.

But it also fees them significant sums to gather the income, as a consequence, it appears that the Russian Baltreff Services has offered up trying to recover the USD 27,000 they paid in advance.

Composed by Terje Engø/Kystmagasinet

Edited by Brian Loubet Jambert
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com