Printing Industries has launched an online Find-a-Scammer guide that provides a searchable database of names and e-mail address used to target the printing industry.
Joe Kowalewski, technical services manager for Printing Industries says, “Over 100 individual contacts have been identified from the hundreds of scam reports we have received,”
He says, “By accessing the list companies can quickly see whether the print quotation requests they have received which appear outside of their normal requests are from scammers already listed or contain the known elements of a scam.”
Some of the most recent additions include Dr Fred Williams, Rev. Francis Cooper, Rev. Bill, Jackson Lennon, Bill Carter, Tony Way, John Larry, Fred Hitches, Steve Tom, Terry Tomson, Father Anthony. The Annex Company Ltd, Daily Orphanage Centre, White & Company Inc, Save the Children.
Kowalewski says, “Very often the scammers sign themselves as a church minister representing a charitable institution. Regular names are also used (often misspelt) including business names that may sound legitimate or similar to some known institutions.”
He said the estimated cost to business in responding to the fake print quotation requests would be enormous in Australia and “astonishing” internationally.
“The majority of companies targeted have a trail of correspondence with the scammers as they submitted their quotes and discussed specifications. All this takes chargeable time.
“In many cases poorly constructed artwork often accompanying the requests has been re-done to press quality. In some cases stock may have been ordered and production undertaken. In all cases there was a cost to the companies concerned even if it was only in the correspondence time.”
Kowalewski adds that information was needed from companies who had forwarded the requested freight prepayments on the basis of recouping these with final order payment.
Also in the news, A Victorian printer who wishes to remain anonymous was mislead after taking an order for 10,000 leaflets for a church promotion claiming to be from Africa. After administration spoke with a man going by the name Henry Davis, who supplied credit card details, the job was printed but no further details were forthcoming from the fraudulent customer.
While the credit card payment to the printer was successful and no money has been lost to date, the company’s bank has pointed out the owner of the card could dispute the charge, forcing the printer to refund $1,100 for the printed job.
Managing Director of the printer told i-grafix, “We harboured our suspicions but we still fell for the scam, luckily we haven’t had any financial losses yet. Printers must be made aware of scams like this.”
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