"We were contacted by email for info, stock availability, and whether we could ship internationally (to Indonesia) against payment by credit card. Relatively small dollars were represented on first contact. No shipping account could be supplied via UPS, FedEx, or DHL, so prepay and add terms were requested. The credit card company originally approved authorization for future shipment, although it was noted that the name and address on the account did not match. When the customer was contacted that we could ship, additional larger dollar amount equipment was added. Again, credit card authorization was received.
"On the day of scheduled shipment we submitted the charge for collection and it went through. Later that day (luckily, before freight pick-up) the credit card company telephoned and denied payment, requested we put through a credit (cancellation), and suggested they believed the card info to be electronically stolen - hence not reported by the cardholder as a stolen card. Protecting against mistaken misunderstanding, we attempted to contact the customer and let him know that the order was on hold pending resolution of the fact that the name and address did not match the cardholder’s. We did not hear back from the customer and we cancelled all activity. Several days later, a similarly-worded request for a different manufacturer’s equipment, misaddressed to us, was again received - leading me to believe some sort of scam in our industry is brewing. Please be aware - I hope I am wrong and nobody else gets hurt."
Similar approaches, apparently from the same individuals, have now been received by PLASA members in the UK, and it is probable that more will be made. We would encourage all members of PLASA to exercise special care when processing orders which seem to be made in this fashion. PLASA would like to hear from anyone who has had a similar experience - if you think you have been approached in this way, please e-mail us at the address below.
(Lee Baldock)
