The Jamaica Gleaner posted an article on January 6, 2021, shipping companies getting scammed by fake email invoices. Below are some key highlights:
- Shipping companies are being warned by the shipping insurer International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) that cybercrime connected with fraudulent demands for payment continues to plague the maritime sector.
- A recent article appearing on The Maritime Executive website revealed that cases of email-driven scams that result in six-figure losses have been reported previously, and ITIC says that it continues to see serious instances of theft using the same basic techniques.
- In a recent case described by ITIC, a ship manager received an email from a shipyard with details of the first payment for some previously-agreed vessel repairs.
- The ship manager scheduled the payment in the usual manner, but on the day before the funds were to be released, they received another email.
- The ship manager soon received an email with a replacement invoice and new routing instructions – on exactly the same template as the original – and made the payment following these new directions.
- The ship manager received payment confirmation. This second email was fake, and the difference was not noticed by the ship manager.
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