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Wonder If It Was A Smiley Face Sticker?
Bills and invoices received in some Florida, California, Kentucky, North Carolina and Georgia offices were paid without checking the authenticity of the charges. They appeared to be bills, but were actually solicitations for business. In one case an attorney received what appeared to be a bill for $138.38 for the servicing contract on his FAX. He didn't own a FAX!
According to the newspaper story in the Palm Beach Post on September 22, over $300,000 was realized during the past year by the suspect who ran this scam.
Although most bills were simply fraudulent invoices, in some cases, there really was a "service" provided that was subsequently billed.
By going door to door and posing as a service person under contract to the parent corporation or entity, this con artist gained entrance into offices and was given access to machines, such as faxes and paper shredders.
Actually it was a meaningless "service". For instance this "technician" would supposedly sharpen the blades of the shredding machine. After "servicing" a sticker was placed on the machine indicating work completion and a quality check. Stickers were also placed on machines that were evaluated as "dangerous to use" unless they were serviced by the follow-up "technician" visit.
It is our understanding that sharpening blades on a shredding machine is a virtually impossible procedure. Blades have to be replaced, and, in most cases, cannot be sharpened except on certain very large models of paper shredders.
Now this scam would not have gotten as much headline space in the Palm Beach Post if it were not for the businesses in Florida which were taken in by this con game.
The list of "clients" who paid the invoices included banks, power and equipment companies, area businesses, local and community government offices, several police departments, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the State Attorney's Offices, and several IRS and FBI offices!
Attention, controllers! You might want to check your shredders to see if there is a sticker on them before you pay that invoice! And be sure that what you are paying are really invoices and not a solicitation for business.
Our thanks to all of our subscribers in West Palm Beach, Florida who sent copies of the Palm Beach Post article to the HOTLINE. We appreciate it!
Copyright © 1992 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 3, No. 7, 12/92
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