A story is told of a person who started a freight forwarding business during the pandemic and received a request from a client in Indonesia to ship goods from the Philippines to Australia. This situation immediately raised suspicion: why would a client in Indonesia contact a freight forwarder in Shenzhen for a shipment between two other countries?

The client in question exhibited a sense of extreme urgency, showed no concern for pricing, consistently demanded expedited shipping, and always paid promptly. Eventually, the shipped goods were discovered to contain narcotics. Philippine authorities contacted their counterparts in China, and the Shenzhen-based freight forwarder was investigated. Although the forwarder was ultimately cleared of any direct involvement, they were still implicated in the investigation.

This incident serves as a stark reminder that freight forwarding companies must carefully analyze the logic and rationale behind any remote instructions they receive. Unusual routes, client locations, or other inconsistencies should prompt thorough scrutiny to prevent unintended involvement in criminal activities.