One fake document. One “small fee”. One rushed payment. That is all it takes to lose everything in the mineral trade. This guide shows you how to check before money moves.
Card, bank transfer and USSD on Selar (naira shown at checkout). Prefer cryptocurrency? Pay with Bitcoin or USDT.
Every day, buyers lose money to sellers whose minerals do not exist. Every day, honest miners and exporters lose samples, documents and cash to “buyers” who never meant to pay. Most victims are not careless. They simply lacked a method for checking before money moved.
Mineral scams follow patterns. The same fee stories, the same forged documents, the same “urgent” deadlines appear again and again, whatever the mineral and whatever the country.
This guide teaches you those patterns, and gives you a step-by-step method to check people, goods, documents and payments before you pay, sign or ship.
ContactAn unsolicited offer, or a fast reply to your enquiry
The hookA price too good, a quantity too big, a grade too high
Building trustPhotos, videos, documents, friendly calls
The first paymentA royalty, permit, test or “activation” fee
EscalationOne new problem, one new fee, again and again
DisappearancePhones off, then a “recovery agent” appears
The book shows you how to stop the deal before stage 4, where losses begin.
Organised like an investigator’s case files, from how scams are built to the checks that stop them.
Why minerals attract fraud, the psychology of the con, the six-stage scam lifecycle and who gets targeted.
Phantom cargoes, the fee ladder, switched samples, fake gold, inflated grades, cloned companies and broker chains.
Seller-pays-fees buyers, fake LCs and SWIFT copies, fake payment proofs, sample harvesting and fake labs.
Checking licences, assay certificates, export permits, bills of lading, contracts and bank letters with their issuers.
Verification ladders, safe payment structures, safe sampling, email security and safe site visits.
The legitimate Nigerian export route versus the scam route, what to do if you are scammed, and building a scam-resistant business.
Twelve case studies for training and short answers to the questions traders ask most.
Twelve checklists, templates and reference tools you can copy and use immediately.
Every scam has a tell: a detail that gives it away if you know where to look. The book’s quick-reference table lists the 20 most common mineral trade frauds, who they target, and the tell that exposes each one.
Here are six of them.
| Scam | Who is targeted | The tell |
|---|---|---|
| Phantom cargo | Buyers | Goods “at the port” but no warehouse or B/L you can verify |
| Advance-fee ladder | Buyers | One fee after another before delivery |
| Fake gold | Buyers | Price far below market, cash meetings |
| Seller-pays-fees buyer | Sellers | Buyer asks you to pay for tests or permits |
| Fake LC / SBLC | Sellers | Instrument sent by WhatsApp, not by your bank |
| Email compromise | Everyone | “New” bank details sent by email |
From the “Scam radar” table at the front of the book.
A case-file design with scam alerts, defences, real scam scripts decoded, annotated fake documents and checklists you can use.
Copy them, adapt them and put them to work.
Warning signs grouped by offer, people, goods, documents, money and behaviour.
Five levels to complete before paying for goods.
For sellers, before samples, contracts or cargo leave your hands.
Who issues each document and how to confirm it.
ICPO, FCO, MT103, MT760, POF, NCNDA and more.
Twenty common scam phrases, decoded.
Safe payment choices and what to do in the first 24 hours.
Verify with labs, warehouses, banks and the mining cadastre.
One page to complete before any money moves.
Sourcing minerals from Nigeria and Africa, and tired of fake offers.
Selling to international buyers without losing samples, documents or cargo.
Protect your clients, your commission and your reputation.
Check mines, licences and deals before you fund them.
Understand the trade-finance and document fraud patterns your clients face.
Learn what normal looks like before your first deal.
Kolawole King is the Chief Executive Officer of Augustina Impex Limited, a mineral sourcing and export company in Jos, Plateau State, the historic centre of Nigeria’s tin, columbite and tantalite trade. He works daily with miners, laboratories, inspectors and international buyers, with exports executed through licensed partner Jase Odus Nigeria Limited.
He founded the Augustina Impex Mining Academy, whose titles include Conflict Minerals and Responsible Sourcing, Africa’s Critical Minerals, Coltan in Africa, Lithium Ore in Nigeria, Monazite Sand in Nigeria, Bastnäsite in Nigeria, From Pit to Port and Buying Minerals from Nigeria.
Kolawole KingChief Executive Officer, Augustina Impex Limited
US$12.17 for the complete 150-page guide, including all 12 appendices and templates.
International readers can pay directly in cryptocurrency. Send the amount below to one of our wallets, then send us your transaction ID and email address. We deliver the PDF to your inbox as soon as the payment is confirmed on the blockchain.
Amount: 12.17 USDT
Amount: BTC equal to US$12.17 at the rate when you pay
Pick USDT on the Ethereum (ERC-20) network or Bitcoin.
Scan the QR code or copy the address. Check the first and last characters before you send.
Email or WhatsApp your transaction ID (hash), the amount, the coin and your email address.
Once the payment shows on the blockchain, we email you the PDF, usually within 24 hours.
A 150-page A5 PDF that reads well on a phone, tablet or computer and prints cleanly.
On Selar, you download it immediately after payment. If you pay with cryptocurrency, we email the PDF to you once your payment is confirmed on the blockchain.
No. It covers both sides: fake sellers who target buyers, and fake buyers who target miners, exporters and brokers, plus the forged documents used against everyone.
Yes. A full chapter covers gold scams, including fake gold dust offers, fake and tungsten-filled bars, real gold with false papers and “diplomatic box” stories, plus how to buy gold safely.
No. The patterns and defences apply anywhere minerals are traded. Part 6 focuses on Nigeria, comparing a legitimate Nigerian export with a typical scam.
The cases, chat scripts and example documents are illustrative composites built from patterns that recur in the trade. Names and details are invented; the patterns are real.
Yes. Augustina Impex Limited sources and exports tin, columbite, tantalite, lithium ores and other minerals from Nigeria through licensed partner Jase Odus Nigeria Limited, and welcomes independent inspection and secure payment. Contact augustinaimpex@gmail.com or WhatsApp +234 906 090 4274.
See the full Augustina Impex Mining eBooks Library, including Buying Minerals from Nigeria, From Pit to Port and Conflict Minerals and Responsible Sourcing.