A number of fictitious ‘blacklists’ circulating on the Internet do not originate from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) or any of its divisions.

A number of fictitious ‘blacklists’ circulating on the Internet do not originate from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) or any of its divisions.

The ‘blacklists’ – purportedly originating from Germany – claim to be from ICC or divisions such as Commercial Crime Services (CCS) and the Financial Investigation Bureau (FIB).

CCS Director Pottengal Mukundan has dismissed the lists as ‘completely baseless’: “CCS would to like to make it clear that our organization does not produce lists of this nature. The contents are entirely false and should not be relied upon.”

The bogus blacklists were originally mass e-mailed to numerous German companies. The information in the e-mail was not only fabricated but also contained false details with respect to its origin.

Only a few known organizations actually publish such lists. The United States government lists groups and individuals designated as supporters or financiers of terrorism. Those on the list are referred to as having Specially Designated Global Terrorist Designation and are subject to seizure of assets and prevented from doing business with anyone in the United States without government permission.

Mr Mukundan said: “Although the Internet is a valuable resource it is easily manipulated. This hoax is a nefarious attempt to discredit businesses. Anyone who receives information regarding blacklists from ICC or any of its divisions should disregard it and assume that is false.”

CCS recommends checking multiple sources and not relying exclusively on the Internet for business research. Checking with official regulators and organizations by mail, telephone and in person can help ensure that the information obtained is valid and accurate.

ICC disclaims any information concerning the illegal or fraudulent behaviour of individual companies or persons at www.iccwbo.org/id9606/index.html

Anyone having questions about blacklists or who may have reliable information with respect to the origin of these false ‘blacklists’ is urged to contact FIB by telephone +44 208 591 3000 or email: fib@icc-ccs.org