Full Notification

In February of this year, the Federal Trade Commission filed court actions against two office supply companies targeting nonprofits and small businesses. The companies were dishonest with their target businesses and attempted to charge them for overpriced supplies that had never been ordered. Several of the victim companies paid because they thought they had to do so and in many cases continued to receive bills for payment.

An Anacortes business was a target of an office supply scam earlier this week. According to the reporting party, the office received an invoice from a company called Central Supply Solutions for ink toner they never ordered. The company did not pay the invoice but wanted to get the message out to other local businesses who may also be targets.

The scam serves as a reminder to businesses and consumers alike to be vigilant when going through bills and inventory. Further safeguards include being very careful about providing personal identifying information such as the name of the purchasing agent for the company or any information about equipment such as serial numbers of your copy machine that make the billing process seem more legitimate.