Fraud Alert

Printing machine advance fee frauds

This is a basically an advance fee (419) fraud, but is more sophisticated targeting a particular industry. The fraudsters offer an expensive printing machine for sale, often at a price too good to be true, to entice you into the transaction. The fraudsters are aware that it is common practice that within the industry a 10% deposit payment is made, often prior to viewing the equipment.

These scams have many features consistent with advance fee frauds that should act as a warning signal, these are:

• Email addresses used will be from a web based mail server such as gmail, hotmail, yahoo
• The contact numbers will be platform numbers (which start 0702, 0703, 0704) which cost 47p a minute to ring and will be linked to platform numbers subscribers own phone number, often a mobile, which whilst giving the appearance that the person is in the UK, they will often be anywhere but in the UK.

The basic message is make sure you know who you are dealing, carry out credit agency checks, speak to other people in the business to see what they know about them, make the necessary enquires about what machinery is being offered for sale, go and see it before part with your money and if it sounds too good to be true it probably is – do not part with your money in a hurry. If you are from outside the UK seek advice.

Links:

• British Used Printing Machinery Suppliers Association

Contact us

If you believe you might be being set up as a target for fraud or have been a victim of this type of fraud and need advice contact your local police station. If you are a resident in Greater London area this link will provide details of your local police station. If you are resident outside the London area, the following link will provide you with details of your local force website from which you can obtain details of your local police station.