The tactics scammers use to take advantage of industry businesses continues to evolve. Adam Yager, partner at Gaithersburg, Maryland, distributor Blue Thunder Promotions, LLC shared a recent experience on Promo Connect that highlighted some of the new methods scammers are using in placing fraudulent orders.

The order for 1,000 pieces came in addressed directly to Yager, rather than the “Attn: Sales” typical of scam orders. The email also referenced the distributor’s specific SAGE product numbers, suggesting the scammers had done their research, and included an imprint. Most scam orders request blank products.

Blue Thunder Promotions does business with several companies overseas needing merchandise in the U.S. for a conference. They have always been willing to send a deposit via wire transfer. Yager’s suspicions were first raised about this message as it came from a Gmail account rather than an actual company. In another atypical step, the scammer called the company after the order, and when Yager pointed out the company’s terms are prepayment of a deposit via wire transfer, the scammer immediately hung up.