Searchlight turns on print scammers
A new service has been launched in a bid to help protect the Australian printing industry from international scammers who have been targeting it for several months.
Printing Industries has launched an online Find-a-Scammer guide that provides a searchable database of names and e-mail address used to target the printing industry.
"Over 100 individual contacts have been identified from the hundreds of scam reports we have received," said Printing Industries' national communications and technical services manager, Joe Kowalewski.
"By accessing the list companies can quickly see whether the print quotation requests they have received which appear outside of their normal requests are from scammers already listed or contain the known elements of a scam."
The list can be viewed in full in Printing Industries ScamWatch area of www.printnet.com.au; or can be searched via the 'Search for' field on the website's home page or viewed via this link.
Some of the most recent additions include Dr Fred Williams, Rev. Francis Cooper, Rev. Bill, Jackson Lennon, Bill Carter, Tony Way, John Larry, Fred Hitches, Steve Tom, Terry Tomson, Father Anthony. The Annex Company Ltd, Daily Orphanage Centre, White & Company Inc, Save the Children.
"Very often the scammers sign themselves as a church minister representing a charitable institution. Regular names are also used (often misspelt) including business names that may sound legitimate or similar to some known institutions," Kowalewski said.
He said the estimated cost to business in responding to the fake print quotation requests would be enormous in Australia and "astonishing" internationally.
"The majority of companies targeted have a trail of correspondence with the scammers as they submitted their quotes and discussed specifications. All this takes chargeable time.
"In many cases poorly constructed artwork often accompanying the requests has been re-done to press quality. In some cases stock may have been ordered and production undertaken. In all cases there was a cost to the companies concerned even if it was only in the correspondence time."
Kowalewski said information was needed from companies who had forwarded the requested freight prepayments on the basis of recouping these with final order payment.
This information can be forwarded confidentially to me either by
e-mail: joe@printnet.com.au by phone on (02) 8789 7300 or by post (with relevant supporting documentation) to PO Box 234 Auburn NSW 1835.
More information on the print quotation scam, including tell-tale signs to look out for, is available from Printing Industries' website: www.printnet.com.au