The shady world of 'int'l awards' for Bangladeshi business leaders

Illustration: TBS

Salahuddin Mahmud, managing director of Young Labels Ltd, was selected for the 'Manager of the Year and Best Enterprise' award. An organisation named 'Achievements Forum' emailed him, saying, "You have been selected as the winner of the Manager of the Year award, while Young Labels Ltd is nominated for the Best Enterprise prize."

The email further read that the award recognises CEOs, company owners and top-level managers who have contributed to the success of their companies through advancing the best management practice and delivering high-quality services for employees and customers.

They said they would bestow him with the honour at an annual 'international' event, and asked him to contact them for 'registration'. 

Salahuddin found the email ludicrous.  

A businessman with several decades of experience, this is not the first time he was offered an award out of the blue. He has been receiving such offers since the time when they would come in the form of printed letters. 

"I continuously receive such emails saying that they want to give me some quality award… that they selected me out of 10 people… you don't know anything about me [and yet you are offering such awards], there should be a limit to such nonsense," he said.  

"If these people knew me, then perhaps it was alright. But they don't know anything about me, yet they are offering me an award and knocking me continuously. They are also knocking a lot of others," he added. 

There are numerous entities and forums that target business leaders in Bangladesh with various 'excellence awards'. In case someone is interested in having one, an award might eventually be given, but they are asked to pay a hefty amount in the name of registration, accommodation and other fees. 

After interviewing other business leaders, we came to know that they also come across such emails, and occasionally, they fall for them. 

"Many organisations send emails like this," said a director of BGMEA who is also a director at one of Bangladesh's largest conglomerates that manufactures textiles and clothing, adding, "mentioning that I have won an award. I simply delete them." 

He said sometimes groups nudge him in the office as well. "I don't let them enter." 

He shared with us an email he recently received from one such group based in India that offered him a "quality excellence award", which they would give him during a programme in Singapore. 

The email read that the group identifies awardee based on their "strategic vision, future orientation, track record, a high degree of integrity towards innovation, ability for sustainable, time and cost of implementation, and innovative practices." 

And similar to Achievements Forum, they offer him, despite not knowing anything about him or his work, a quality award. The email mentioned that they were "extremely pleased to inform you that our management would like to honour YOU (capitalised and in the colour red, also highlighted in yellow) with the Quality Leadership Award citation." 

But to begin with the process, he would have to register and this is where basically the gimmick starts. 

To make everything more believable, they said, "The event is purely conducted with respect and passion. The certification cost is $500. This is the only cost that needs to be paid by you."

"Each awardee is requested to make the travel and accommodation arrangements at their own cost," they added.  

Those who come across such emails said that the groups, in their emails or secondary stages, mention that awards will be provided in European cities like Geneva or England and ask the candidates to pay €3,000 to €5,000 for accommodation and other costs. 

"It is entirely an award selling scheme," Salahuddin said. "Many of our business people end up spending this money unintentionally. But some think of these as branding advantages. I have seen several people from Bangladesh going there [European cities] and spending their money. After they return, they advertise their achievements on papers with photos of receiving the award while wearing bowties." 

"I even saw one person exhibiting the award photos in billboards in Ashulia. This entire thing is a trap and fraud," he added. 

For groups who offer such awards, the profit is generated from the fees they take from the awardees. According to insiders, if they can amass half a million euro or dollar in registration and other fees, a huge amount may remain as profit after spending some on awards and events. 

Accessing the contact information of business leaders is easy in Bangladesh as they are available in various directories online. 

We asked Salahuddin how business leaders can keep themselves safe from these award sellers. 

"It is very simple," he replied. "If they don't understand the scam, they better not do any business with them at all." 

He called upon the embassies in Bangladesh to be aware of such scams conducted by groups operating in the West. "Because we are third world countries, when anything goes wrong, the first world countries blame us at first. The embassies should be informed that people in their countries are doing these, and ask them to stop these," he opined.