Channel warned of HP scammers
Firm posing as a legitimate customer actually based in north London internet cafe
Distributor Computer Communications Limited (CCL) has warned fellow channel firms to be on their guard for orders from a "nightmare" outfit it believes to be fraudulent.
Earlier this week, CCL received an email from what appeared to be a legitimate company looking to purchase about £19,000-worth of HP servers. On further investigation of the contact details provided before the order was taken, CCL discovered the delivery address was that of an internet café in north London, which raised its suspicions.
CCL was unable to get through to the email sender via the phone number provided in the email and consequently ended communication with him.
The email from the alleged fradusters appears to be from a legitimate company at first glance, quoting a company registration number and a VAT number. But the details listed are actually those of US-based aerospace firm Teledyne, which said it was looking into the issue when contacted by CRN.
CRN was unable to get hold of the alleged fraudsters and was placed on hold for almost half an hour when attempting to contact them on multiple occasions.
It is not the first time a company apparently posing as Teledyne has targeted the IT channel – just over a year ago the channel was hit with fraud warnings about what appears to be the same outfit.
The apparent scam is known to others in the industry too: last summer, users of B2B e-marketplace The Broker Site warned fellow IT disties to be wary of the group and IT distribution portal ITDistri.com has listed them on its scammers database.
In 2013, CCL fell victim to a company operating as Pelican UK which bought £15,000-worth of HP kit via a payment which later bounced.
CCL's managing director Dennis Armstrong said he has learned his lesson after losing cash two years ago and now wants to help others avoid a similar fate.
"Always check out the delivery address," he urged fellow channel firms. "It is a nightmare because more and more people come into this business who are not as experienced and it is only with experience that you realise what is going on. It is easy to let your defences down thinking you are getting an order. I want to make people more aware and make sure they are vigilant about it."
A HP spokesperson said: "While we cannot comment on the specific case mentioned, we would encourage our partners to send any concerns about potential fraudulent activity to HP's brand protection team at [email protected] and we will investigate as appropriate."