Verify all bills before writing a check

A scam targeting businesses is banking that you will not question a bill or where it came from, before paying.

Postal inspectors say scammers will send businesses a bill in the mail and it will often say it is for services you would normally have, like computer help or even advertising in the yellow pages. Normally the bills are for $75 to $100.

Companies that have paid the invoice without questioning where it came from have lost $752,000.

“The billing department, you know, gets that and they just pay it. They just think, you know, it’s not a large amount of money, you know, it’s not $1000, $1500, so they just go ahead and pay it because they get multiple bills,” explained U.S. Postal Inspector Ryan Brakhage.

Authorities have issued hundreds of cease and desist orders in this case, requiring the senders to stop mailing the fake bills. But in the meantime, make sure you talk to your shipping and ordering department to ensure each bill that is paid, is legitimate.