Courier Scams

Courier scams don’t have to be too sophisticated to be successful. Although, most are quite strategic in that they often include bits of information about your organization so you will be fooled into thinking they are legitimate. Scammers may call your organization ahead of time and ask questions that confuse receptionists into willingly providing helpful vendor names, pricing and product information. Scammers then use this information to create convincing charges for the delivery of bogus packages or pallets. The more an invoice can be customized, the more vulnerable your organization is and the greater the chances are for the scammer’s success.

Courier scams are not always completely fabricated, though. Many of the worst cases of courier invoice fraud have originated from an organizations current employees or vendors who inflate the quantities or pricing of invoiced products and services. Current employees have an advantage over scammers because they have all the inside information and know how to cover their tracks. You could be paying invoices to a legitimate company, unaware that said company has direct ties with your current employee.  It may be that your employee has a business relationship with one of your vendors and they are both profiting from the scheme. Insider jobs are more common than you may be thinking. Visit our recent news page for more information.

The best way to avoid paying on inflated invoices is to match each invoice with past orders and/or check inventory records to verify if products were in fact delivered. It may require extra work, but overlooking a phony courier invoice may cost you a lot more than just time and effort.