The effect of being "scammed" may go far beyond the initial loss of money or property, credit ratings can be affected, banking and other personal details may need to be changed, and accounts "frozen" all of which can cause considerable inconvenience and disruption.

Scams come in a variety of guises but tend to have similar themes.  There are several methods commonly used by scammers, these are:

• Telephone scams - a caller may speak to an employee and claim later that an order has been placed.
• Invoicing scams - Invoices for non-existent goods or services are sent to businesses in the hope that they will be paid.  Ensure that you have payments systems and procedures 
• Social engineering - a scammer persuades an employee to reveal information allowing a fraud to be attempted. 
• Technical scams - Your email address is forged enabling scammers to place orders etc. in your name.
• Fraudulent and imposter websites - May have a similar domain name or appearance to a reputable business and invoices are issued against orders placed.  Obviously, no goods are ever despatched.
• Personal or Corporate Identity Theft - Both work in the same way - scammers acquire enough details about a person or company to obtain goods, credit or services in someone elses name.

Avoiding the Scammers:

• Check bank statements and investigate unusual transactions
• Put systems and procedures in place to make sure that invoices are cross checked against orders and goods/services have been recieved.
• Make sure that employees do not inadvertently reveal information that may be used in a scam.

Remember - You don't have to pay for goods or services that you have not contracted for - even if a company has supplied them.  If you receive a demand for payment for goods or services that you have not ordered - ask to see evidence of the order or contract.  If this cannot be produced - Don't pay!