Don’t Be A Victim!
What is a toner pirate?
Toner Pirates are scam artists who call businesses and trick them into buying toner supplies. They will often have information about your copier, or gather this information through tactics such as offering to send you updated manuals if you give them the model number.
How the scam works
They usually work in groups and may use a three-call approach.
1st Call: Is harmless enough to the unsuspecting individual, they usually say:
�We are calling to verify the make and model of your copier / printer�.
Someone in the office not familiar with the supplies arrangement could easily provide this key information unknowingly.
It will be used in the second call.
2nd Call: The second call will usually be “Hi, I am �Paul etc..� calling from your copier warehouse and or distribution center. [the information gathered on the first call is inserted here]
We wanted to let you know that the price of your toner went up, but we have some at the old price.
3rd Call: The third call is to verify the order and get your agreement to it.
This is but one example, they use many different ruses to gain the information they want.
For those who have fallen prey, what they get is a big surprise.
The price of toner can be four to five times the normal price and in some instances the amount of toner in the cartridge is half what it is supposed to be.
How to avoid becoming a victim
1. Have one person to be in charge of supply orders
2. Know who your supply representative is. (Rick Pierce � MacFarlane Office)
3. Ask them for a call back phone number (They usually hang up when this happens).
4. Do not sign or agree to anything if you are not 100% certain that it is legitimate.
5. Make sure accounting is on the lookout for suspect invoices.