Let’s imagine this scenario that’s happening to thousands of Canadians each year.
A box of toner arrives with an invoice to your office. You haven’t ordered any toner or are on an auto-renew contract with your supplier, which doesn’t look like the usual box. Weird. But you decide to open the toner and install it anyways. You are now on the hook for a toner bill that can often be over 10 times what it’s actually worth! This might sound like a far-fetched scheme, but it’s happening every day.
You must be aware of how to spot a scam to not fall victim to these toner pirates. You can also stay up to date with the Government of Canada’s fraud awareness resources.
There are many ways these toner pirates can target you or your company. If you get a random call from a supplier and ask for your make or model of your MFP, do not tell them. They may tell you that they need the number for updating records or technology upgrades.
A warning sign that the caller is not a representative of Office Interiors is that they are asking you for your device’s make and model. If we are calling you, we will already know this information.
They will use this information to target you and send you unrequested supplies at an enormously increased price. The product you are receiving from them may also be faulty or fake, voiding your warranty and causing further headaches.
To protect your business from these scammers, ask the caller for their name and contact information and tell them you will call them back. If the call is actually from Office Interiors, we will gladly provide you with our contact information.
If you also get a call of someone offering you a “prize” or a “one-time deal” for toner, these are also scams. As a supplier, we would not randomly call people and offer free toner as a prize. Hang up and do not tell these callers any of your information. If you doubt, you can always reach out to your account manager with Office Interiors and confirm.
Sometimes these pirates will randomly target businesses by sending boxes of toner with exorbitant invoices and will follow up for payment later. If you use this toner, you will be on the hook to make the payment. They may also threaten to take you to collections to receive compensation.
If you are on a service contract, your toner is already included at no extra cost! This means there will be no bill or invoice alongside the toner delivery. If you request toner, but it comes with an unusual bill, reach out to your Office Interiors representative to confirm the package is actually from us.
These toner pirates manage to scam millions of dollars each year from unexpecting Canadians. Do your research, stay diligent and reach out to us if you ever have any questions about an order.
Emily Adams
Office Interiors
Digital Content Specialist