Administrative Update

Universities, because of their large size, changing personnel and decentralized nature, often are fertile grounds for various scams.

Some of the most common areas targeted for scamming are:

• Copier toner or office supplies. Representatives will call and offer a great deal because they are closing a store, having a sale, etc. Even if your answer is Òno,Ó they will send the product to a name connected with the university, and then bill.

• Advertising. Representatives will copy a classified advertisement from a legitimate publication, put it on their own magazine copy, and send it to the department listed with an invoice. It looks very legitimate.

Phone artists use many different tactics. Among the most common:

• They claim they are liquidating a family business, bought out fire-damaged goods or purchased a truckload of goods at a reduced cost.

• They frequently use the names of executives in the organization or indicate they have spoken to the Purchasing Department and were told to follow up so that a specific department could take advantage of a terrific deal.

• The caller will indicate that he or she is a distributor for a major manufacturer.

• The caller is reluctant to leave a return telephone number.

• They ship and invoice by simply obtaining a name and address.

• They are willing to take a verbal order without any reference to an official purchase order number.

• They are very persistent in pursuing payment, often indicating that they are a collection agency.

What should you do if you are contacted by an unknown supplier offering a deal? Refer them to Purchasing. Do not give them any information regarding the types of equipment you use. Remember, these con artists appear sincere and knowledgeable because they have been carefully scripted and rehearsed. If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Judith Miller
Assistant Vice President of Procurement Services