Moroccan Customs Uncover Major Import Fraud Scheme Involving Asian Goods

Suspected of artificially inflating the value of goods imported from Southeast Asia, particularly from China and Hong Kong, these companies would have illegally transferred large sums of money abroad.

The cat was let out of the bag thanks to the vigilance of the monitoring and analysis services of the national customs brigade. During a check of import transactions, they noticed glaring anomalies in the invoices, with declared prices far exceeding the real value of the products, according to sources at Hespress. Furniture, kitchen utensils, lamps, small tools... the goods imported by these companies, less than three years old, seem ordinary. But behind these everyday products lies a real money laundering machine.

The international exchange of customs data has confirmed the investigators’ suspicions. Some invoices would have been "inflated" by up to 70% of their real value! Furthermore, the investigations revealed the existence of a "double invoicing" system set up by organized networks in the exporting countries.

Faced with these revelations, Moroccan customs have decided to strike hard. In collaboration with the Foreign Exchange Office, they are verifying the legitimacy of the financial transfers related to these suspicious imports. The exporting companies involved in the fraud have been identified and reported to the various border posts, with the aim of preventing any new fraudulent transaction.

To carry out this hunt for fraudsters, customs rely on their expertise in invoice control and an efficient reporting system. The information provided by the Foreign Exchange Office has made it possible to uncover complex financial circuits, with bank accounts opened in the name of shell companies.