Nigeria’s Most Coordinated Ceramic Scam: Fraudsters Clone Chinese Firm Online, Defraud Victims of Millions of Naira

Onoja Johnson

In what appears to be one of Nigeria’s most coordinated online scams in recent memory, a syndicate of fraudsters has successfully impersonated a Chinese-owned ceramic company, Goodwill Ceramic Limited, across multiple cloned websites, scamming unsuspecting Nigerians out of millions of naira under the guise of tile sales and bogus registration fees.

Secrets Reporters investigation reveals that this sophisticated syndicate operates several fraudulent websites and impersonates official representatives of Goodwill Ceramic Ltd., tricking victims into believing they are engaging with the genuine manufacturer based in Igbesa, Ogun State. The original company, Goodwill Ceramic Limited, registered under RC-1186576 with the Corporate Affairs Commission since April 24, 2014, has had no active digital footprint in the domains used by these scammers.

Mr Mei Ye Hai and Mr Li Zhao Jiang incorporated the company.

Victims, in search of ceramic and porcelain tiles, typically come across one of several lookalike websites. These websites, designed to mimic an authentic business platform, include goodwillceramiclimited.com.ng, goodwillceramicltd.com, goodwillceramiclimited.com, goodwillceramiccoltd.com, goodwillceramicstilesltd.com, goodwillceramicstiles.com, goodwillceramiclimitedng.com, goodwillceramiclimited-agbara.com and goodwillceramicfze.com.

Once contact is made through listed phone numbers (07046534254, 08105497580, and 08131623874), victims are sent a Google Form titled “Goodwill Ceramic Purchase & Suppliers Permit Order Registration Platform”. This form outlines registration categories with attached fees such as Major Distributorship Registration – ₦1,780,780, Retailers, Developers, Builders – ₦175,780, End User One-Time Purchase – ₦35,780.

These victims are directed to make payments into individual accounts, often not registered to the company, with assurances of order delivery within three days.

Emmanuel Christopher Ajiduku, a resident of Nnewi, Anambra State, became one of the syndicate’s high-profile victims. In a letter dated July 23, 2024, addressed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Benin Zonal Office, Ajiduku detailed how he was defrauded of ₦4,385,680 over multiple transactions in June and July 2024.

“I paid the sum of ₦125,780 to GTBank account number 0910797778 with the name Adamu Ibrahim for registration,” Ajiduku wrote.

“After receiving a fake certificate, I was sent a catalogue to place an order for 1342 cartons of tiles. I transferred ₦2,853,400 as instructed and later another ₦1,406,500 to increase my order to 2020 cartons after being told the company had changed its policy. Eventually, I was asked to pay another ₦1,755,890, which made me realize I had fallen into a trap.”

All three contact numbers provided reassurance at each step, presenting themselves as colleagues from the same company and affirming the legitimacy of the transaction.

Secrets Reporters confirmed that the fake websites used similar content and branding language, all claiming to be a division of Wangkang Holding Group Co., Ltd, and offering similar tile product listings, delivery timelines, refund policies, and contact emails (e.g., info.goodwillceramics.ng@gmail.com).

Further investigation revealed the scammers even created a false Google Form that mimicked legitimate business processes, making the scam appear procedurally official.

When SecretsReporters contacted one of the phone numbers on one of the websites, it was provided with catalogue of products and an account to pay the access fee into. The account domiciled with Premium Bank makes one wonder why the bank has not been summoned by the EFCC to make the details of those behind the account available.

When the scammer was questioned if one could come to their office for registration, he responded that the access order can only be obtained online.

Ajiduku’s EFCC petition pleads for an immediate investigation and potential prosecution of the scammers involved. He also calls on the real Goodwill Ceramic Ltd. to publicly disown the impersonators and work with law enforcement to prevent further victimization.

“This is not just a case of financial loss, but a matter of health, emotional trauma, and reputational damage. I urge EFCC to trace the accounts and bring the perpetrators to justice,” Ajiduku emphasized.

Despite multiple impersonations, the official Goodwill Ceramic Ltd. has yet to publicly distance itself from these criminal activities, raising questions about its oversight and customer protection strategies. The company remains largely silent even as its name is being hijacked to facilitate financial crimes.

With over a dozen fake websites, cloned communication formats, and multiple digital fronts, the syndicate behind this scam represents a growing trend of sophisticated internet fraud in Nigeria.