{"id":1550,"date":"2025-04-30T12:32:41","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T11:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redparalela.eu\/?p=1550"},"modified":"2025-04-30T12:32:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T11:32:42","slug":"is-your-new-supplier-trustworthy-common-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redparalela.eu\/en\/is-your-new-supplier-trustworthy-common-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Your New Supplier Trustworthy? Common scams and how to avoid them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bringing in a new supplier can open doors\u2026 or become a major risk. In this article, we highlight the key points to help you determine whether you’re dealing with a reliable business partner\u2014or heading straight into trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u26a0\ufe0f The Most Common Scams<\/h2>\n

In recent years, many distributors have fallen victim to scams of all kinds. Let\u2019s name a few:<\/p>\n

THE SMALL ADVANCE:<\/strong>
A supplier asks you for a \u201csmall\u201d upfront payment (say, \u20ac2,000) to \u201cguarantee transport\u201d or make sure you won\u2019t back out. Then they vanish. No delivery, no response to calls, emails, or WhatsApp messages. All you’re left with is a bruised ego and the loss of your money.<\/p>\n

THE MASTER NEGOTIATOR:<\/strong>
A new supplier offers an amazing price for goods that are supposedly in the warehouse of a well-known supplier you may already work with. You send your truck, the goods are there, and you pay the new supplier. But the warehouse doesn\u2019t release the goods\u2014because they haven\u2019t been paid. Complex? Yes. But it’s happened. Twice. In one case, over \u20ac30,000 was lost\u2014by a lifelong client who was also upset because we offered a lower price to the scammer than to him. These people know how to play the system.<\/p>\n

THE SUPER IMPORTER:<\/strong>
Importers or wholesalers with only a couple of days of history offer better prices than seasoned professionals with 25 years in the business. They often cause you tax problems due to VAT fraud<\/strong>, and tax authorities apply the subsidiary liability rule<\/strong>\u2014which affects you, not them. They shut down one company and open another. Some even return to the market after a few years as if nothing ever happened.<\/p>\n

THE GREAT EXPERT:<\/strong>
Others are more sophisticated, operating fraudulent triangular transactions or misusing customs\/fiscal warehouses\u2014especially with excise goods. These operations are much riskier legally. If you’re curious, we\u2019re happy to share real examples privately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd0d Tools to Evaluate a New Supplier<\/h2>\n

If you decide to vet a new supplier, here are tools you should always use:<\/p>\n

Start with basic checks to see if the supplier is even worth your time:<\/p>\n