PPB December 2016

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| DECEMBER 2016 | 49
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How To Avoid Promotional Products Scams
Look For Red Flags in Emails
• Look for poor spelling or grammar.
• Never provide personal details,
security or account information
in an email. Contact the business
or institution directly to verify
what they are sending.
• Don’t open attachments or click
links if it’s from someone you don’t
know or if you are not expecting it.
Practice Strong Digital Security
• Use a strong password. Do
not reuse passwords.
• Enable encryption in
your email settings.
• Use antivirus and keep it updated.
• Set Windows to automatically
update or install all
security updates.
• Use a reputable company to host
your email and e-commerce site.
• Do not reply to spam.
Check Shipping Details
• When shipping offshore, be wary
of a residential shipping address.
• Research the address on
Google Maps. Look at
snapshots of the building.
• Check that the “ship to” and “bill
to” addresses are the same.
• Use caution if requester offers to
pay immediately by credit card or
requests immediate shipment.
• Ask for a signature upon
delivery of products.
Verify Credit Cards
• When you establish open credit
for an unfamiliar company, look
it up in Dun & Bradstreet.
• If the name on the card is different
from the person placing the order,
ask to speak to the person on the
card to verbally confirm the order.
• Ask for the front and back
copy of the client’s driver’s
license and credit card.
• Use a credit card authorization
form requiring a signature.
• Require Address Verification
System (AVS) and Card Verification
Value (CVV) matches.
Research Company Identity
• Make sure the address and
phone number on the order
match the information on
the company’s website.
• Google the name of the company
and call it to make sure it’s genuine.
• If the email address is a “generic”
domain google.
com; , check out
the order thoroughly.
• Know the person or company
to whom you are selling.
If you do not know them,
find someone who does.
• Be wary of orders from new
customers submitted through your
website, especially for products that
are normally decorated. Products
with a high retail value, such as
undecorated t-shirts, USBs, and
other electronics, are the products
most often ordered in scams.
Sources: SAGE IT Director Brian Pritchard; PPAI ); Merchant Focus
5 Do not reply to spam. Educate your staff
on this practice. “In general, the weakest
link in security is the human operator, so
vigilance is key.”
6 Practice good securitymeasures. He
says, “Use a strong password and do
not reuse your email password on other
services. Enable encryption in your email
settings (any email SAGE hosts requires
this). Use antivirus and keep it updated,
and set Windows to automatically
update or install all security updates. Use
a reputable company to host your
email and e-commerce site like
SAGE, which is PCI compliant.”
Here are some of the red flags to look for:
• When shipping offshore, be wary of
a shipping address that is a private
residence. Research the address on
Google Maps, which often provides
snapshots of what a building looks like.
Sometimes this step can help filter out
fraudulent orders.
• Check the company’s website to ensure
that the address and phone match those
on the order.
• Scammers almost always pay by credit
card. Before you establish open credit
for an unfamiliar company, look it up in
Dun & Bradstreet.
• Be sure the company is legitimate by
checking it out on Google and then
calling to check.
• Be wary if you get an order from an
unknown customer for promotional
products that are normally decorated.
Products with a high retail value such
as undecorated t-shirts, USBs and other
electronics are the products most often
ordered in scams.
• Generic domain email addresses such as
@ are often tip-offs to a scam.
Check it out.
• Use caution if the requester offers to pay
immediately by credit card or requests
immediate shipment. This is often a red
flag of a scam.
• If you don’t know the person or company
placing the order, find someone who does.