High demand and restricted legal supplies of products like Siberian Larch and Birch Plywood, have led to a number of scam emails being circulated in the UK, with timber being offered from Russia at prices and with lead times too good to be true. Source: Timberbiz
Some are even claiming to be able to disguise the origin of goods by bringing them through third countries like Turkey. Such products would be illegal; however, it is doubtful if these emails are anything other than targeted email scams designed to breech email security or extract money for goods which do not exist says Timber Development UK.
Offers for products that are in restricted supply or at very cheap prices should immediately set alarm bells ringing. While at a glance these emails may appear to be legitimate a closer inspection will often reveal their true nature.
Numerous examples offering Russian timber appear entirely credible using the correct terminology and making links to marketing materials from what appear to be genuine manufacturers. However, the emails used are generic and not linked in any way to these companies.
Timber Development UK has told its members to not give any credence to offers of illegal wood from countries under sanction like Russia or Belarus and make absolutely sure they know who they are dealing with electronically before sharing company information such as bank details or sending any form of payment.
The association has asked its member if they received an email they are not quite sure about, to do their homework, and if they think it is a scam, to forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS), run by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
