Some people will not be associated with a letter of credit for their entire life while with for others it is part of their business transactions. It is a financial contract between the bank, the bank's customer, a seller of goods, and that seller's bank. It is a contract that involves the purchase of goods or services against funds. It is a statement from the buyer's bank to the seller's bank verifying that there are funds for a buy/sell transaction. It is often used in transactions with other countries.
NOTE: Whenever you get a phone scammer calling you with this proposition, always report the number to http://www.callercenter.com
The scammer works on the common principle that people like to make money with little investment. They convince a gullible person that they can purchase a letter of credit at a huge discount and profit can be made in one of the following ways:
· ..... it can be sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars more than invested
· ..... it can be cashed immediately, realizing a big profit
· ..... it can be traded for a higher value
· ..... it can held for a time to realize a higher profit
Letters of credit are never sold nor offered as investments. They are between banks, sellers, and buyers only. Money is only paid when the issuing bank receives certification that goods ordered have been sent. Scammers often provide false documentation stating that goods have been shipped while this has not happened at all, which they show with the phony letter of credit.
Another scam in the area of letters of credit is when an offer is made of the document where the investor will receive huge interest rates of 100% or more. This should raise a red flag with anyone who is knowledgeable regarding interest rates.
Letters of credit are very complicated instruments, controlled by trade laws, international politics, and economics. Therefore, it is very easy to be fooled by someone who is dishonest. One of the ways they work is that they know that most people are not educated in this subject.
Therefore, they act as if the person who is being scammed is fully knowledgeable about all the ins and outs of the financial world and especially in the field of letters of credit. Many people do not want to burst this bubble so believe everything that is said and are soon talked into a situation that means losing all their money.
Fraudulent letters are prepared on very official looking paper with information entries very carefully inserted. Even an expert finds it hard to identify them from an authentic article. They will have a gold seal and other embellishments to make them look official.
A good rule-of-thumb is to remember that with a letter of credit no one should be involved except the buyer, the buyer's bank, the seller, and the seller's bank. Rules regarding its use are set by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The rules are very specific and cannot be changed. No funds are released until all documentary procedures are completed.
No matter how persuasive a person is, there is no such thing as a letter of credit that can be used by another person. When buying into a scheme to make money on such a document, one is simply throwing their money away as all they will have is a piece of paper that is worth nothing. In order to prevent this from happening, conducting thorough research into the parties involved and the particulars of this particular type of transaction can, ultimately, save you thousands of dollars.
