You may be thinking there is no such thing, but toner scams do actually exist.

The term ‘toner pirate’ has also recently found its way into the industry vocabulary and relates to a gang of renegades who are causing trouble for businesses and suppliers alike. You might think you have a service agreement with a reputable company, but how do you know the person on the other end of the line is the real thing?

What Toner Pirates Do?

Someone will call and pretend to be your normal supplier. It probably won’t be a speculative scam, they will have taken the opportunity to skilfully find out what sort of systems you use, how often you need toner, and even how much you pay. They will quite often use high pressure tactics to try to get you to part with money by saying that they have an offer on toner, or they tell you that the price has gone up and you need to cover the shortfall.

Other scammers will contact you with better deals on your toner and even send you a promotional pack with special offers attached. The best idea in circumstances like this is to refuse to accept it and tell them that you are under contract with another supplier.

Large companies are normally well versed in the vagaries of toner and other scams and have processes in place such as having a dedicated staff member responsible for procurement. But more and more, with SMBs opting to go for pay per copy leases and the like, businesses who don’t have a set person to deal with that kind of activity are being targeted.

How Do Toner Pirates Find Out So Much?

They will do their research. If you have a multi-function printer for example, someone may phone to say that your operations manuals need updating and ask for details of printers. They may even ask who you normally deal with in ‘the company’ so that when they next phone they can say “Geoff Blogs asked me to give you a call about…” immediately dispelling any mistrust.

Pirates will often send through substandard toners that could well damage your multi-function printer and cause you greater cost in having it repaired. That’s if they send you any toner at all.

Ways to Beat the Toner Pirates

• Have a named contact in your supplier company who you can contact by email, text or phone to check up on any ‘new offers’.
• If someone phones, and you are not sure they are who they purport to be, ask them for a number and tell them you will call back – if they won’t give you a number, you have your answer.
• Make sure all your staff are aware of the existence of toner scams and have a protocol in place to deal with it.
• If you get an order for your multi-function printer that you didn’t ask for, stand firm and don’t sign for it – if you have queries contact your supplier company to raise your concerns.

There are scammers in every line of business and the world of multi-function printers is no different. For most businesses it’s simply a mild irritation. For others, who get taken in, it can mean lost revenue and a damaged photocopier. Maintaining awareness and making sure your staff are kept informed, can save you a lot of heart ache.