Project Mailbox IV for Businesses
Catch the Bandit In Your Mailbox

Businesses are being bilked out of millions of dollars by unscrupulous promoters.

Yellow Pages Invoice Scams [PDF]
Businesses receive what appear to be invoices for line listing in traditional Yellow Pages directories or online directories, but are actually solicitations for listings in "bogus" directories. These "bogus" directories often are not widely distributed, or may never be published or promoted.

Web Site Cramming [PDF]
Telemarketers tout the benefits of doing business on the Internet and offer to design and host Web sites for a >free= 30-day trial. Even if businesses decline the trial offer or cancel within 30 days, they=re charged on their phone bills during or after their >free= trial period.

Office Supply Scams  [PDF]
Telemarketers use a variety of ploys here. Sometimes they call organizations, asking for the name of the person responsible for ordering supplies. They call that person, saying they want to send a Afree sample@ -- light bulbs, pine cleaner, or the like. Instead of shipping a Afree sample,@ the con artists send supplies followed by a bill.

Public Safety Fund-raising Scams [PDF]
For-profit companies solicit small businesses by phone, asking them to buy ad space in publications with law enforcement, public safety or other civic purpose themes. In many cases, the publications lack the implied connection to legitimate law enforcement and are rarely distributed in the community as claimed.

Defend Yourself

Here's how to help protect your business from losing money to unordered services:

1. Know your rights. If you receive bills for services you didn't order, don't pay. The law allows you to treat unordered services as a gift.

2. Review your phone bills as soon as they arrive. Be on the lookout for charges for services you haven't ordered or authorized. If you find an error on your bill, follow the instructions on your statement for filing a dispute.

3. Look for any fine print on either side of checks sent to your business. When you cash them, you could unknowingly sign your business up for membership or ad space in an online or phony directory, or for some other unneeded service or product.

4. Assign purchasing to designated staff. And document all your purchases.

5. Train your staff in how to respond to telemarketers. Advise employees who are not authorized to order services to say, "I'm not authorized to place orders. If you want to offer or sell us something, you must speak to ______________."

6. Buy from people you know and trust. Authorized employees should be skeptical of  "cold" or unsolicited calls and feel comfortable saying "no" to high pressure sales tactics.

7. Check out the organization with the Attorney General or Better Business Bureau in your state or the state where the organization is located before you send any money for any product or service. This is not foolproof: there may be no record of complaints if an organization is too new or has changed its name.

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