Small Businesses Big Targets for Billing Scams
A billing scam targeting human resource professionals costs U.S. business more than $50
million dollars annually and stresses out employees.
False billing has been around for over 50 years. Boiler room con-artists used to duped companies into paying for nonexistent or inferior Yellow Pages ads. This scam is still with us but it has taken on a new twist.
The latest ploy involves calls to human resource employees responsible for outreach ads and persuades them to buy ads in fictitious or marginal publications supposedly marketed to minorities, women, and veterans. Even if the HR manager refuses to buy ad space, the telemarketer will often invoice the company anyway, trying to confuse the manager enough to convince him or her that the ad was actually purchased.
As soon as the manager agrees to pay the bill, another invoice arrives, setting off a vicious cycle that can create major stress and embarrassment for even the savviest of HR professionals.