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RED FLAGS & THREAT DETECTION

“All people handling documentation or cargo should be constantly asking themselves

What is normal?,

What is not normal?”

RED FLAGS FOR PERSONNEL HANDLING PAPERWORK

  • Unusual weights, values, quantities, dimensions

  • Commodities not normally shipped

  • Missing required documents, such as bills of lading, packing lists, or commercial invoices

  • Incomplete or extra documents

  • Pen and ink changes / crossouts

  • Misspellings of company names, bad addresses

  • Missing usual data elements

  • Customer or purchasing agents reluctant to offer information

  • Business partner is unfamiliar with business or product

  • Delivery dates are vague or out of the way destinations

  • Shipping route abnormalities

  • Packaging is inconsistent with method of shipping or destination

  • Buyer/seller is unhelpful in specifics of product manufacture

RED FLAGS FOR PERSONNEL HANDLING FREIGHT

  • Resealed box or crate

  • Tape or banding on box does not match other boxes

  • Open box

  • Extremely damaged corners

  • Excessive tape or string

  • Rigid or bulky when usually not

  • Lopsided or uneven

  • Protruding wires

  • Oily stains, discoloration, or crystallization on wrapper

  • Strange or unusual labels or markings

  • Strange odor

  • Suspicious persons or activities in or around cargo loading area

  • Photo supplied by loading site does not match current arrangement of cargo

  • Seals broken or missing (See Customs 7 and 17 point container inspection procedures HERE and HERE)

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