Call us on
0800 680 00 88

The Office Supply Scam

Ensure your staff know who is ordering what…

Ordering supplies can come with its problems, with orders being wrong, things being missed or out of stock. However, it’s important you ensure your orders are being tracked and there is a formal ordering process so everyone knows who has ordered what and when it is due to arrive. If you don’t have something like this in place, your business could easily become a victim of an office supply scam.

 
 

How Does the Office Supply Scam Work?

These particular cybercriminals are telemarketers. They call your business and trick employees into paying for goods and supplies that were never ordered. This is done by the cybercriminal misleading your company to believe that an ex employee had placed an order before leaving the company and payment still needs to be made for the goods to be delivered. Your business is then sent an invoice for the payment. Usually the invoice is for overpriced and unwanted equipment for your office.
If you realise this is an office supply scam and attempt to return the items, you are then told this is not possible as the order form had been signed off and agreed over the phone. You are then left with a loss of money and unwanted items.

 

 

If you’re on the hunt for potential IT companies to supply your business with dedicated IT support, why not give Hero a call? We provide a free on site consultation to see what your specific needs are.

0800 680 00 88

Take Action

 
 
 

Things to watch out for

 
  • Suppliers calling and asking for order confirmation about an order you are unsure of
  • Orders placed by ‘ex employees’
  • Orders that are ‘on hold’ and ‘awaiting payment’
 

Report it!

 
  • Call your bank immediately and inform them of any payments you have made
  • Warn other employees in the company so the mistake isn’t made twice
  • Phone us straight away on 0800 680 00 88 and report it to Action Fraud

 

 
 

Protect yourself and your business

 
  • Don’t assume that what the supplier is saying is true
  • Keep track of all orders placed, if they have been paid for and the due delivery date. This way, even if an employee leaves the company, there is still a record of an expected delivery
Menu