DETROIT – The start of a new school year is a busy time for everyone: students, parents, and school employees.
The Better Business Bureau serving Eastern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula is warning schools about a new scam.
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Someone is sending phony invoices to school in 22 states, including at least one in Adrian, Michigan. The fake bills claims to be from a company calling itself "Scholastic School Supply". The invoices show the alleged business is located in Las Vegas, Nevada and Sewell, New Jersey. The invoices claim to be for English-Language Arts workbooks the schools never ordered.
The phony invoices, all for the same $647.50 amount, match the description of the workbooks to the grade level of the school being targeted. For example, an early childhood school's phony invoice would state it was for Pre-kindergarten level books while a junior high school's invoice would say 8th grade.
Unwary schools may be tricked into paying the phony invoices by the name of the company, which is similar to a well-known educational book company, Scholastic Inc. That company tells the BBB that it's not affiliated with "Scholastic School Supply" in any way.
Fighting Fake Invoices
The Better Business Bureau is urging schools to be on the lookout for the fake invoices. It offers these guidelines for preventing any losses.
*Train staff so they're away of the potential scams
*Assign designated buyers for all purchases so they can better track what's truly being ordered.
*Save copies of purchase orders and receipts.
*Check documentation before paying bills. Check purchase order numbers to be sure they match your actual purchase orders.
*Although the business may threaten to send the bill to collections, don't pay if you've determined the invoice is a phony.
*Report any fraudulent invoices to the following organizations.
Better Business Bureau: http://www.bbb.org/detroit/
Federal Trade Commission 877-382-4357 or ftc.gov/complaint http://ftc.gov/complaint.
Invoices that arrive via U.S. Mail can also be reported to your local postal inspector by calling 877-876-2455