The following was prepared by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
If a proposed transaction looks legitimate, and a U.S. company (or any other Western company) is interested in pursuing it, the company is strongly urged to check the bona fides of the Nigerian company
before proceeding.
However, the legitimacy of a firm is not necessarily a sufficient indication that all solicitations using the firm’s name are legitimate.
The transaction itself must be verified, because many scams use legitimate company names or names of Nigerian Government agencies in fraudulent solicitations.
Until the specific proposal is verified, the U.S. company should not send out letterhead, invoices, bank account information, or product samples.
Domestically, this can be done by requesting a World Traders Data Report (WTDR) through a U.S. Department of Commerce District Office.
These reports, which are prepared by the commercial staff at the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, provide the following types of information: types of organizations, year established, principal owners, size, product line, and financial and trade references.
Due to specificity and detailed nature of the service, the WTDR takes 4 - 6 weeks and costs (about) $100.
Overseas, the U.S. company representative should contact American
Citizen Services Unit of the Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
Remember, it is important to verify both the transaction and the company. Through prudent skepticism, American (and other Western) companies can avoid falling victim to individuals involved in fraudulent business activities, yet continue to take advantage of lucrative business opportunities with legitimate companies.
