African Gold Transaction
Verification & Risk Assessment
A full independent investigation of an African gold transaction before any payment is made. We move beyond the documents to verify the counterparty, the licences, and the deal structure directly with the authorities and laboratories that supposedly issued them.
Best for buyers and investors weighing a significant transaction who need the seller, documents, and structure independently verified before they commit to payment, travel, or signing.
This service is used when a buyer or investor has received documents and is seriously considering whether to proceed with a significant gold transaction. Where the 24-Hour Transaction Risk Assessment is a fast first read of the documents, this is the deeper investigation: we actively check whether the claims hold up against the external sources that can confirm or disprove them.
It is the right step when the deal value is meaningful, when the buyer is close to payment or travel, or when an initial assessment has surfaced points that need to be confirmed before any commitment is made.
Whether the company exists, is properly registered, and whether the people presenting the deal have the authority to act for it.
Whether licence claims, assay certificates, and export documents are genuine, by checking them against the bodies that issue them.
Whether the claimed export route, refinery relationship, buyer/off-taker, or delivery pathway is real, commercially logical, and capable of being independently confirmed.
The broker chain behind the deal, the payment structure being proposed, and any known fraud indicators across the transaction.
Each verification is structured around company existence, counterparty authority, document authenticity, the export pathway, and payment risk. The difference from a first-stage assessment is that we do not simply read the documents, we test them against independent sources: cross-checking company registration against the relevant corporate registry, verifying licence numbers with the issuing authorities where possible, and contacting laboratories through independently sourced contact details rather than the numbers printed on the certificate.
We review the transaction structure for consistency and commercial logic, confirm that the documents agree with one another and with what the seller has claimed, assess whether the counterparty actually has the authority to act, and identify which claims can only be confirmed on the ground, flagging them clearly.
A detailed written verification report, covering counterparty and authority findings, document and licence verification findings, a clear transaction risk rating, the key red flags and unresolved claims, and a recommendation on whether to proceed, pause, or escalate to on-ground verification. You can see the format and depth of our written work on the sample report page.
Remote verification cannot physically confirm the gold, the operation, or chain of custody. Where the transaction reaches the point of physical inspection, testing, or handover, the report will recommend on-ground verification and independent testing oversight, and we will set out exactly what still needs to be confirmed in person.
Just need a fast first read? If you want a quick assessment before committing to full verification, start with the 24-Hour Transaction Risk Assessment.
At this stage the patterns that most often surface include companies that cannot be found in any registry, licence numbers that do not exist when checked with the authority, assay certificates the named laboratory has no record of issuing, layered broker chains that prevent contact with the actual seller, and payment structures that route funds through personal or untraceable channels. For background, see our guides on how African gold scams work and the red flags buyers should check before payment.
The deal value is significant · payment, travel, or signing is being considered · licences or certificates need confirming with issuing authorities · a broker chain is obscuring the real seller · the seller is asking for payment before physical inspection or export · an initial assessment has raised points that need confirming.
For a faster, lower-cost first read of the documents, see the 24-Hour Transaction Risk Assessment. Where the deal reaches physical inspection or handover, this verification is followed by On-Ground Verification and Independent Gold Testing & Assay Oversight.
Submit Your Deal for Review
Send us the seller details, documents, country, and transaction stage. We will return an independent written verification report within five days.
Submit Your Deal for Review →See full pricing or view a sample report.