You would think that after 30+ years as a police detective, I would be immune to scam calls.
Last night proved otherwise.
I received a phone call from someone claiming they represented a company looking to purchase unused promotional weeks from my timeshare.
They offered $1,800 per week for seven weeks.
My cost for those promotional trips?
$399 per week.
The math sounded great:
• Spend: $399 × 7 = $2,793
• Receive: $1,800 × 7 = $12,600
• Profit: $9,800
Not bad for trips I rarely use.
The caller added a sense of urgency, explaining they needed hotel rooms quickly for an upcoming conference. They assured me they would handle all the arrangements, and I would receive payment as soon as the weeks were booked.
Then I remembered something my grandfather always said:
? “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
So instead of agreeing, I asked the caller to call me back the next day.
I…
This type of fraud targets the supply chain and accounts payable departments of businesses.
- Invoice Manipulation: Criminals intercept a legitimate invoice between a supplier and a client and change the banking details to their own. The client pays the bill thinking they are paying their trusted vendor.
- Kickbacks and Bribery: A vendor secretly pays an employee of the purchasing company to ensure their bid is successful or to overlook inflated pricing.