SCAM ALERT

Alright, so I was a little off on the Super Bowl. Just goes to show you that I'm human. In that vein, my wife says that I'm very human. Just wait until next year!

Every once in a while we hear one that bears retelling, if for no other reason than to give you a heads up.

We had a customer recently that requested a C.O.D. shipment, which we sent out with one of our lesser-used small package carriers. When the package was delivered, the customer wrote a check for $75 and asked the driver who the check should be made out to. The driver seemed to be very willing to help, and suggested that he had a stamp that he could use on the check to save our customer a little time.

Here's where the story turns a little sour. When the customer went to place another order, they were informed that the C.O.D. still hadn't been paid. The customer immediately sent us a PDF of the check (front and back), which we then sent to the carrier. The driver became an ex-driver on the spot, since he had written his own name on the pay to line of the check, not his employers or ours!

The lesson...we use only reputable carriers, whose drivers are well trained, honest and hard working. Every once in a while a bad apple gets through the process, but it's rare. Before you give a check to the driver it should be made out to Graphic Chemical & Ink Company or whichever of our companies you have ordered from. Sound business practices usually make for a better relationship, but in this case, there's no way our customer would have known better. This is an isolated incident but it should serve as a warning for all of us.