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<DIV>I shared this with my wife, who orders office supplies --</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>She sez:</DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">I’ve had sleezy calls like this before, too. They count
on people not really knowing who their copy machine is leased from,
etc.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">They also call and tell you that the price of toner is
going up, but <STRONG>if you order today, they can give you the old price. That
doesn’t really work when <U><EM>we get our toner free as part of our
contract.</EM></U></STRONG> :-) <BR><BR>There are crooks born every
minute!<BR><BR>RE:<BR><BR><BR>On 1/24/11 2:25 PM, "Jim Knutson" <<A
href="tintin@exchangenet.net">tintin@exchangenet.net</A>>
wrote:</DIV></SPAN></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">from Oregon library listserv (dunno if they'd ever go
after someone like you at someplace like you're at):<BR> <BR>Today I
received a call at the office which I suspect was from one of those companies
that sends you stuff and then tells you that you ordered it but you know that
you would never have placed such an order. So, I am sending this message out
to you so you have a bit of a warning.<BR> <BR>I answered the phone and
the guy wanted to speak to me about our photocopier. <BR> <BR>He
says: "I am calling about your copier and need to update our information. You
just need to go look on the front of your copier and tell me the make and
serial number."<BR> <BR>I paused for a couple of seconds (because I am a
slow thinker) and was trying to figure out what this could possibly be about
and then realized that he had not identified a company. <BR> <BR>I said:
"What is your company?"<BR> <BR>He said: "The main headquarters for your
copier located in Virginia."<BR> <BR>I lease our copier and know the name
of the bank carrying the lease (and where I pay the bills) and the company
that arranged the lease and does the maintenance. Neither is in
Virginia. And, on top of that, I know the names and have spoken with the
people associated with our copier and he was not one of them.<BR> <BR>I
said: "Well, since you are not giving me a name of a company I assume you are
not the company from which we lease our copier so I am now going to end this
call."<BR> <BR>I had a staff member at the Siletz Library once answer a
phone call that may have been similar to this one and the company sent the
library 10 toner cartridges and an outrageous bill. It was not fun getting
them sent back to the company. It was for the printer you are still using and
I have only purchased about 4 toner cartridges for the
machine.<BR> <BR>In other words, don't respond to this or any similar
call. <B>It is a scam! </B>If you ever are in doubt or have even the slightest
inkling that something just isn't quite right please refer them to me.and then
let me know about the call. <BR></SPAN></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">I am not writing this to embarrass Kim because the
companies making these calls are sleezy and really can sound convincing.
However, Kim did receive a call yesterday and gave out the information
they requested.<BR> <BR>Here is some further guidance on how to handle
what may happen now.<BR> <BR>Your library may receive a second
call to verify the order and the address. Don't give them the address.
Tell them that you do not place orders and that all orders are place
through the Lincoln County Library District office and they will have
to call me for any verification of anything.<BR> <BR>If they send
a package DO NOT except delivery if at all possible. You don't get
very many packages sent to you other than McNaughtons so you will
probably know that this is not a package that you would normally get.
If possible get the name and address of the sender. That may not be
possible but you can try.<BR> <BR>If the toner gets delivered DO
NOT use it. It could invalidate the maintenance contract we have on
the copier. Just send it to me.<BR> <BR>If you get hassled about
not paying bills or anything just tell them they need to speak with
me.<BR> <BR>Hey, things happen. We try to prevent them from
happening but when they do happen we move on. I am just so glad I was
told that it happened. It helps me give you guidance and develop a
plan for action.<BR><BR><BR><BR>Office Supply Scams on the
Rise<BR></SPAN><FONT color=#000006><FONT size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><I><BR>An article from the Federal Trade
Commission's Website<BR></I></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><BR>Has your business ever been targeted by an
office supply scam? Could it? Offi ce supply fraud costs its victims –
large and small businesses, as well as schools, government agencies,
and nonprofit institutions – an estimated $200 million per year. These
scams generally involve the deceptive sale of products that businesses
purchase on a regular basis – like printer paper, copy toner, light
bulbs or cleaning materials.<BR><BR>Some fraudulent telemarketers may lie to
get your company to pay for items it never ordered, or to pay more
than it agreed to – often five to 10 times what the product or service
is worth. Some callers pretend to be your company’s regular supplier
or offer a "special deal" that they claim is "good for a limited time
only."<BR><BR>The Federal Trade Commission urges employers to train their
employees. Visit <BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><A
href="http://www.ftc.gov/boss">http://www.ftc.gov/boss</A> <FONT
color=#000006>for more information on how to spot, stop and avoid
office supply scams. <BR><BR>If you think you’ve been the victim of an
office scam contact the FTC at
877-FTC-IHELP.</FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
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