WESTERN MICHIGAN, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Better Business Bureau of Western Michigan is warning citizens and businesses of a new scam involving phony invoice forms.
The BBB says that a company is sending out solicitations that appear to be invoices. The “invoices” include a due date, account number and an amount of $180, payable to Vicco Web LLC.
The forms appear to look like normal invoices, but there is a disclaimer in the middle of the page that says the mailing is a solicitation and not a bill or statement of amount due.
The BBB of Western Michigan has received numerous reports about the misleading forms, calling them “deceptive.” Some businesses have fallen for it, while others realized the invoice was phony.
“Had our accounts payable department not been vigilant they would have paid an invoice for a company we do not work with,” a Grand Rapids-based painting company said in a complaint to the Better Business Bureau.
The extent of web hosting services offered by Vicco Web LLC for $180 is not currently known, and several of the links on the Vicco Web website do not work.
Better Business Bureau investigators visited the Grand Rapids address on the invoice, which revealed it to be a virtual office. The virtual office rents space to another virtual office, which rents to a mail forwarding company, which apparently works with the people behind Vicco Web LLC.
BBB officials say they have been unable to verify the identity of the owners of Vicco Web, and whether it is connected to several other companies using identical mailings and similar website designs or not.
“Businesses need to closely examine all mailings or emails that appear to be a bill,” says Phil Catlett, President of the Better Business Bureau Serving Wesrtern Michigan. “Attorneys general from across the country have warned about similar mailings, which are intended to trick businesses into paying a bill they don’t owe, usually to a business they have never heard of.”
The BBB of Western Michigan has submitted their findings to State and Federal officials for further review.
Businesses can file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau at bbb.org or with the Better Business Bureau Scamtracker at bbb.org/scamtracker.
