Identity and financial fraud continue to claim victims!
Fraud: still an everyday strain?
An existing retailer informs you by e-mail that they want to become a customer. Several checks are performed and everything seems fine. The first order is placed and delivered, but no payment follows… What now? This has happened to several of our members.
The company tries to get in touch with the contact person who placed the order, but there is no response. Through another channel the company tries to approach the retailer. It turns out that they never placed an order, but their identity has been abused by a third party. The goods have disappeared and are most likely to have ended up in a parallel circuit. They will never be paid for: not by the retailer, who is the victim of ID-fraud, neither by most of the insurance companies. A serious blow to quite a few companies. This isn’t the first warning we’ve issued, but the frauds are getting smarter and smarter and the number of attempts is rising significantly. Result, fraud is still claiming victims.
3 tips!
Use the available means
The details that are being used are ‘almost real’, but is there a real customer behind it? Consulting open sources (on the internet, for instance) is a good start, but frauds do the same thing. So, you must do more than that! There are databanks such as WIPO and i-Force* that collect information on frauds and their methods.
*In 2018, members of Food Security get access to this databank. More information during the session on the 27th of April.
Food Security helps her members by:
- Organizing Workshops on various themes to increase companies’ knowledge in multiple fields (fraud, social media policy, media training,…).
- Providing courses aimed at increasing awareness of first line employees (reception, bookkeeping, sales…).
- Being available for advice and having a pool of experts in a variety of disciplines at hand who can offer rapid assistance.
Learning points
What to do when a consumer reacts in an unexpected way?
What do you do when faced with an unexpected response? How do you prepare your consumer service for the unexpected?
How to protect your company from negative online publicity?
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How is your company’s Food Defense?
Securing your residence is a given, but securing the workplace comes less naturally. Our practical experience at food companies confirms this.