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Office supplies

Scam medium:

  • Phone and fax

Targeting:

  • Businesses

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:

  1. Send a certified/registered letter (with a return receipt requested) to sender requesting proof of order
  2. If no proof, then notify sender you are keeping the supplies as a gift
  3. 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:

  1. Inspect the goods
  2. Reject as not conforming to contract, having defects or being overpriced
  3. Send a certified/registered letter (with a return receipt requested) to notify the sender of the rejection
  4. Hold goods for reasonable time with reasonable care for sender to dispose of
  5. 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)

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