Global Verification, Investigations & OSINT for Importers and Logistics Teams
Real case files, fraud networks, exposed schemes and practical checklists for anyone moving goods, money or documents across borders.
Trusted by importers, freight forwarders, banks and platforms who need to know who they’re paying and what really moves.
Fake Certificate Networks Across Eurasia
One “quality” template reused from China and Turkey into Georgia, Central Asia and the Middle East.
Featured Investigations & Deep Dives
Long-form casework that connects fake certificates, ghost warehouses, and logistics lies to real trade flows and losses.
Fake Certificate Networks Across Eurasia
How one “quality” certificate format travelled from China and Turkey to Georgia and Central Asia – and why most buyers never spot the pattern.
- We map the layouts and serial formats.
- We connect exporters using the same template.
- We show how a basic OSINT routine breaks the chain.
The Paper Mill: Recycled Invoices Across Three Continents
A trade finance case where the same shipment and paperwork were pledged to three different lenders in less than 90 days.
- Duplicate documents & serial reuse.
- Banks’ internal controls vs OSINT findings.
- Simple checks that would have stopped it.
Sanctions by Proxy: Shell Distributors on the Black Sea
Mapping logistics companies, informal traders and “clean” intermediaries used to move restricted goods into sanctioned markets.
- OSINT mapping of shells and affiliates.
- Freight routes vs customs declarations.
- Red flags for importers and platforms.
Fraud Cases & Exposed Schemes
Short, practical breakdowns of real losses – with step-by-step verification routines you can reuse before sending the next payment.
“The Warehouse That Didn’t Exist”: A European Buyer’s $180,000 Loss
We reconstruct the documents, emails and “Google-verified address” that convinced a buyer to pay for goods that never shipped.
Open case timelineThe “Global Logistics Group” That Was a Gmail Inbox
A freight forwarder that didn’t own a single truck, warehouse or office – only cloned branding and borrowed addresses.
Open case timelineShort Visual Explainations of How Fraud Really Works
Screen-share style walkthroughs you can watch with your team – focused on what to check, where to click, and which red flags to log.
New Tools in the Fight Against Trade Finance Fraud
How banks and platforms are trying to detect duplicate financing and document fraud – and what simple field-level checks you can add.
OSINT for Verifying Remote Warehouses
Detecting Reused Certificates & Audit Reports
Logistics OSINT: Following Containers, Not Stories
Verification Tools & Practical OSINT Checklists
Downloadable checklists and toolmaps you can plug straight into your own verification workflow – from the first email to final payment.
Supplier Verification Checklist
A step-by-step workflow from first email to final payment: identity, licenses, address, documents and payment controls.
- Identity & corporate registry checks.
- Address & logistics reality checks.
- Banking, payment and sanctions controls.
Fraud Pattern Handbook for Importers
A compact handbook of the most common lies, tactics and pressure moves used in supplier and logistics fraud.
- “Too clean” documents and template reuse.
- Identity, email and domain tricks.
- Fake logistics and tracking stories.
Open Trade Road OSINT Tool List
A curated map of open registries, satellite tools, transport trackers and sanctions resources that we actually use in casework.
- Company & registry sources by region.
- Certificate & accreditation look-ups.
- Vessel, flight and port intelligence tools.
Risk Briefings & Market Intelligence
Concise explainers on sanctions changes, new fraud tactics and OSINT-heavy cases that will matter for your next shipment or deal.
How Duplicate Invoices Slip Past Banks’ Systems
A walkthrough of how recycled invoices and bills of lading get financed multiple times – and where external verifiers can help.
Read briefingNew Sanctions, Old Logistics: Routes That Haven’t Changed
Why certain corridors stay attractive for sanctioned shipments – and which data points you can monitor even without internal access.
Read briefingWhen the “Local Logistics Partner” Is the Actual Risk
Deciding who to verify first: supplier, logistics partner or buyer – and why ignoring the forwarder often backfires.
Read briefingCertificate Pattern Tracker – 2025 Edition
A working dataset and methodology for spotting reused “quality” certificates across exporters, sectors and regions.
Fake Certificate Networks Across Eurasia
We log certificate layouts, serial formats, issuing bodies and exporters using the same template – then map them across trade routes.
Coming soon: a searchable, privacy-safe view of the network for banks, platforms and verification teams.
How to Use This in Your Own Checks
You don’t need access to our full dataset to reuse the method. The article covers:
- How to classify certificate layouts and serial structures.
- Which OSINT sources confirm if a certificate is real, reused or mis-used.
- How to log patterns inside your own company or platform.