This is despicable. Fake bills sent to businesses, hoping to look enough like an ASIC bill to sneak into the accounts payable in-tray. And a respectable looking web site if you follow the link. Why are these things not shut down by the authorities?
If you read it, you’ll see it says ‘this is not a bill’ and ‘you don’t have to pay any money’, but they’re sure as hell willing to accept payment…
Businesses these days face a barrage of scams. This one is trying to looking like an official government invoice, but others mimic suppliers or send renewal notices for domains or directories. Still others send you stationery invoices or printer toner bills, relying on a lack of internal rigour processing invoices.
We can’t help you with that scrutiny, other than to raise awareness. What we can do, of course, is help with the online systems, which frankly are a more common threat. And generally seek to extract more money.
For many small businesses the strategy is ‘pretend it’s not happening’ or ‘they’re not interested in businesses like mine’. But increasingly, they are. We do a fair bit of analysis for no money, including a quick audit. Give Amir a call on 9325 1196.
Be proactive. We have too many conversations with businesses who thought it’d never happen to them…
