FRAUD ALERT – PLEASE FORWARD APPROPRIATE PERSONS IN QUALITY AND FINANCE

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February 11, 2011



Know Your New Customers!
ASA received a call from a member about this particular fact pattern.  This fact pattern is not the first time we have seen it so be careful.
  • New customer
  • Not located in U.S.
  • Purchasing parts using credit card for payment
  • Credit card is charged, Distributor ships parts
  • A month later, distributor is notified by bank that credit card was a stolen number
  • Distributor is out parts and money 
    • Suggested items to add to your current approval process for new customers: 
      • Google not only the company name but also the address
        • If the address is for a registered agent or similar type of company, Google the register agent name and see if there is a list of their clients
        • Call the location and confirm the company is there
      • Require proof that they are a registered company in their country.  For example, in Singapore the Accounting and Regulatory Authority lists companies registered to do business in Singapore – www.acra.gov.sg
      • Does the company have a website? 
      • Does the purchasing agent for the company use a company email, or do they use email through Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail?  While some people use Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail for work-related items, it is not the norm.  It is easy for someone to set up these types of emails and then to terminate the email account.
      • Is the company location on the purchase order different from the shipping address?  If yes, check the shipping address and call.  When ASA has been contacted about this scenario, the parts were delivered to the shipping address and signed for.  The scheme involves having a person wait at the address and sign for it.  Usually the company that is legitimately located at the address has no idea that other items are being sent to the address.

Airspares (Inc) UAE. – Falsified Certificate
An airline contacted ASA to verify that a certificate of membership provided by Airspares (Inc) UAE. was valid, and it is not.  The membership certificate was a falsification and the company name and expiration date were doctored.  ASA is not familiar with Airspares (Inc) UAE. and at no point have they been a member or accredited to ASA-100.

www.airsparesuae.com
Airspares Incorporated UAE
Andrew Jonathan
Suite #.801, Reef Tower, Jumeirah, Lake Towers, PO Box 62201, Dubai, UAE

If a company sends you an ASA Member certificate or an ASA-100 certificate, always check ASA's website directories to make sure that the certificates are legitimate.  The ASA Member directory is located here, and the ASA-100 directory is here.  

Affiliation with ASA through membership or accreditation has a value, and companies have falsely tried to represent that they are accredited to ASA-100 or an ASA member to obtain credibility.  If you receive a false certification from a company or know of a company that is illegally using one of ASA's logos, let us know so that we can take appropriate action.