Businesses can outfox office supply scam artists

Most business scams rely on an employee's naivet about fraud or the lack of communication between the purchasing department and the bill-paying staff. The Better Business Bureau suggests managers take the following steps to make their companies less vulnerable.

Instruct employees not to give out information about office equipment to callers with whom they are not familiar.

Designate specific employees who will be responsible for ordering supplies.

Warn purchasing employees to be suspicious of callers offering bargains that must be acted on immediately.

Make sure each order is in writing, with an authorized signature and purchase order number.

Instruct all suppliers to put purchase order numbers on invoices and bills of lading.

Do not pay bills that fail to match your documentation.

Do not pay for and don't return unordered merchandise. By law, you are allowed to keep unsolicited items as a gift, and you cannot be dunned for refusing to pay.

Train employees to look for disclaimers on invoices. By law, order forms that look like invoices must carry a disclaimer in large type that says, "This is not a bill. This is a solicitation. You are under no obligation to pay the amount stated above unless you accept this offer." You do not have to accept the offer!

Instruct employees to be suspicious of Yellow Pages invoices that do not have phone numbers. An invoice from your local directory will have the local phone company's name on it.

Check out Yellow Page directories that claim to be nationwide or statewide.

If you get bogus bills or invoices, post them so employees are aware of them. If you decide to switch office product suppliers or advertise in a new directory, first check out the company with the Better Business Bureau and ask for references and a sample of the product.