False billing
Scam medium:
- Email and text
- Phone and fax
Targeting:
- Businesses
Receipt of an unsolicited invoice and demand for payment, where no product or service was requested. Scammers will often use assumptive sales tactics; assuming you've said "yes" to a sale or offer.
Variations of the invoice can include:
Directory
A scammer calls a business to confirm details such as the company's address and telephone number.
After your confirmation, the scammer sends you an invoice asking for payment for a directory listing or renewal. They may record the initial conversation and use that against you.
Business owners should tell employees at every level to be wary of unsolicited calls. For further protection, only give payment authority to a small number of staff.
Office supplies
A scammer contacts your business to confirm your address. The scammer may pretend to be your usual supplier or offer supplies at a discounted price. Once you confirm the address, they may send unsolicited business supplies, along with an invoice.
If you receive supplies that you didn't order:
- Send a certified/registered letter (with a return receipt requested) to sender requesting proof of order
- If no proof, then notify sender you are keeping the supplies as a gift
- If there is proof that the goods were ordered, then follow procedures for ordered goods
If you receive supplies of inferior quality and/or inflated prices:
- Inspect the goods
- Reject as not conforming to contract, having defects or being overpriced
- Send a certified/registered letter (with a return receipt requested) to notify the sender of the rejection
- Hold goods for reasonable time with reasonable care for sender to dispose of
- Inform sender that if they mail more supplies, you will not accept the goods or take responsibility for their maintenance
Sample letter to reject a scam shipment
The following is a sample letter to revoke acceptance of goods. You should send this letter by certified or registered mail with a return receipt requested.
Date
Dear _____
I am the purchasing officer for (your company's name). Yesterday, we received X amount of (toner, paper, cash register or debit machine tape, a directory) from your company. Please be on notice that we are hereby revoking our acceptance of the delivered goods for the following reasons.
Misrepresentation as our normal supplier.
Inferior quality of delivered goods.
Quality of delivered goods does not conform to the telephone conversation.
The goods were never ordered.
Inflated price of merchandise.
(Any other reasons which may apply to customer not wanting the delivered product).
For the foregoing reasons we are revoking our acceptance of the goods. Therefore, we require that you arrange to have the (toner, paper, register tape, directory) picked up and returned to your business establishment. We will hold the shipment for a period of 30 days after your receipt of this letter. If reshipping arrangements are not made during that time period, we will be forced to dispose of the goods.
I also require that any future correspondence from your company to ours be in writing. If you have (your company's name) on your records for future orders, please cancel those orders as none have been made.
Sincerely,
(your name)
(your company's name)
- Date modified: