Trade officials warn NZ exporters to watch for scams

Trade officials have warned New Zealand companies wanting to do business with China to be wary of scams.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) said some Chinese enterprises were demanding New Zealand exporters travel to China to sign contracts and pay a notary public fee in cash when they arrived.

NZTE said targeted sectors included food and beverage industry, marine services, health food products and manufacturing "but the issue is not exclusive to these sectors".

In the latest issue of a New Zealand Customs Service publication NZTE said similar scams were revealed last year.

A recent variation came in an internet inquiry from a distributor based in South America and working with Chinese buyers. They wanted to buy a New Zealand company's products and services and invited the company to visit them to sign contracts.

"Key features of the inquiries are that the companies want to place large orders, claiming to focus on quality not price and agreeing to all general terms of trade."

NZTE urged companies to do their own due diligence to verify who they were dealing with. It said there was no need to travel to China to sign a contract or pay a fee to a notary public.

New Zealand companies should insist the Chinese company provided a copy of their business licence and references from other companies they had dealt with in New Zealand and internationally.

- NZPA