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The scams some people use to rip businesses off…

I know of a newsagent who wanted too access a business service urgently. They were told the price and provided a credit card. That failed to go through so they were called back and a second card was provided. The transaction went through. They got immediate access to what they wanted. Over subsequent days they used the service over and over, downloading and extending the value they achieved. Six weeks later, they contacted their credit card company claiming the use of the card was fraud.

I own the company that has been hit by the scam. The time being spent to prove the legitimacy of the charge, to provide documentation supporting the charge, phone conversation notes and more is considerable. In the meantime, the newsagent has unfettered access to what they downloaded, to the products they purchased once agreeing on the price.

A consequence of the experience is a tightening of back office processes, and this is the point of my post here. It is often misbehaviour by one that impacts on the vast majority in any community who behave well.

There are people in our newsagency community who do not act as if they are in a community with metal obligations of respect. They do not act thinking their behaviour could impact on other newsagents.

Speaking as a supplier, I’d love a place to share details of newsagents to not deal with, a bit like putting up a phone or video of someone who steals from a shop. But that idea is not possible so you suck it up, learn from the experience and move on.

While writing about it here provides some relief, it is minimal compared to the cost to the business regardless of where the fraud investigation lands.

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Ethics

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  1. Shayne

    I would love to do the same for home delivery customers who refuse to pay their bill. Especially in a small country town I would love to put the customers names out there so every other business in town knows they are thieves but as you said, you just have to suck it up and move on.

    3 likes

  2. jenny

    Same here Shayne, especially the ones that run a local business.

    0 likes

  3. Shaun

    Hi,
    I didnt know where to ask this, so i am writing it here.
    My newspaper supplier keeps cutting me short on papers every week.
    He supplies me with the minimum papers i have sold in a week, sets the docket to that permanently, and then starts supplying me that.
    When questioned he says he got less papers given to him as well.
    The problem is, i have come to know that he has been supplying papers to ordinary corner shops as well.
    I dont know if thats legal but he has been this doing since forever. I being a Newsagent, do not get enough papers, and he is supplying papers to corner shops,which i believe do not have the right to be getting newspapers.
    Should i complain to News limited ? I would be really grateful if someone could help me out here.

    0 likes

  4. Jenny

    Shaun we are distributor with shop, often I don’t get enough papers in my shop, especially when the supermarkets never run out!
    We supply newsagents, petrol stations, supermarkets, convenience stores etc.
    The newsagents get their supply set by News Ltd not by us, we bill them and manage their returns but News Ltd manage their supply.
    Our area rep also visits them and they can contact her direct or thru us with any supply issues.
    I would phone News and discuss it with them.

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  5. shauns

    Of course he can supply papers to the corner shops they are also called subagents .We might not like it but the Paper companies couldn’t give 2 hoots as long as they get sales

    0 likes

  6. Shaun

    Thanks for your reply, Jenny and Shauns.
    The reason i raised this is because a few months ago my supplier reported to news that i was supplying papers to other shops, in retaliation to my email to the rep about his bullying. Although, it really was a joke and news knew about it, still they sent me a warning email.

    1 likes

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