“Sign nothing, pay nothing!” Read the fine print carefully and be on your guard” ~FOD Economy
It already sounds almost like a Doe But song, and yet the FPS Economy is right. Nowadays, classic ways of scams are increasingly easy to detect. As a result, scammers are also becoming increasingly creative and trying to take over the B2B sector.
Have you recently been asked to provide or change your address details online? Or did someone come to your door asking you not to place an ad in a local magazine? Or maybe you just got the last chance to buy a domain name very similar to yours? Well for a few hundred euros more than if you buy it through the official route, of course. DO NOT!
Expensive contracts you know nothing about?
Scammers often hide behind occupations or titles that appear trustworthy. For example, under the guise of professional directories, they sometimes ask you to change your address information and sign the document with the changes. That way, in no time you are unknowingly stuck with an expensive contract that doesn't expire for several years.
A second way scammers try to cheat you is by sending you an invoice that makes you assume there is thus already an existing contract. By paying that invoice, you then agree to the terms and conditions set up by the scammer and so once again you are stuck with an expensive contract for several years.
Reminder: outstanding invoice PAY NOW
Recently, we received a panicked call from one of our regular customers. She had received an e-mail supposedly containing a reminder for an outstanding invoice for her hosting. She realized in time that something wasn't right and called us to ask where the email was coming from.
Of course, she's not the only one who receives these emails and you need to be sufficiently alert to this as a business manager or employee. It is one of the ways scammers try to steal your money. It looks like they are sending a payment reminder of an overlooked invoice with an urgent message attached. This tends to make you pay immediately giving you little chance to go over the details.
Cheating with domain names
Another well-known phenomenon is that scammers contact you with an urgent request. Namely, there is a company that wants to buy a domain name that is very similar to the domain name of your company and the scammer, being a good soul that he is, first wants to give you the chance to buy the domain name himself. The catch, of course, is that scammers often dare to charge hundreds of dollars more for a domain name than what it is actually worth.
There are several websites where you can get your domain registered or find out who exactly manages your domain name. One of the best-known websites for this is whois.domaintools.com. Most domain names are usually sold for a few tens of dollars per year.
Beware of untrustworthy representatives!
Do you ever get a visit from representatives of a local catalog or for a charity fundraiser? Be warned! Certainly not every representative of a catalog or charity is a scammer, but when the name of the magazine or charity does not immediately ring a bell I would still be a tad extra vigilant. Scammers like to take advantage of your good will. Once you have accepted the offer, you must of course confirm this by signing an agreement. Check this agreement carefully. A common trick of recruiters is to get you to also sign for a second ad in another magazine at that time. These recruiters often have multiple magazines and take advantage of a moment of inattention to get you to sign two contracts unnoticed.
A few tips:
Always check the sender
Keep good records of the parties you contract with
Keep track of invoices and payments
Don't just sign or pay, check all details first and inform yourself with your partners.
Had contact with these types of scammers? Report it to the hotline of the FPS Economy, they are responsible for a safe trade market.
Already signed or paid? Stop all payments immediately and file a complaint with judicial services: https://meldpunt.belgie.be/meldpunt/en/welcome
The FOD Economy has a lot of experience with this kind of thing and has compiled a list of parties you should be extra vigilant about. Be sure to check the list and take action if any of these parties have contacted you. https://economie.fgov.be/nl/bedrog-met-beroepengidsen