WA31

SMEs urged to monitor their invoices

The European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) is advising firms to be on the lookout for an increasing number of fake invoices this summer.

According to the EASA, summer is the busiest time for fraudsters to send invoices to small businesses, as many senior members of staff are away on vacation, and phoney bills are more likely to slip through the net.

EASA chairman, Robert Hilty, said, 'Over the last 10 years we have noticed a marked increase in fraudulent direct mailings over the summer months'.

'It is vital that SMEs across Europe are aware of these scams and know how to deal with them', he added.

EASA is issuing the following advice to firms:

- Check all invoices carefully - especially those from abroad or from unknown suppliers;

- If you doubt the validity of an invoice, call the company for further details or contact the usual sales representative;

- Read the small print;

- If you have mistakenly paid a fake invoice, contact the company to request a refund, and report the incident to EASA or the Office of Fair Trading.

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