by FONTANA, Calif. — Full line furniture resource New Classic Furniture has alerted dealers to a scam involving fraudulent emails asking customers to make a payment to an illegitimate source.
In the security alert, the company said that the emails look like a company that the retailer deals with, but actually give banking instructions that end up directing payments to a thief.
“This has happened throughout the industry and to several of our dealers,” the alert states, noting that the retailer is still responsible for payments to the actual vendor. “Don’t let this happen to you.”
The alert also notes that New Classic will not send any payment or wire transfer instructions through email. If in fact a retailer receives any such notice, the company is asking their customers to call the New Classic accounting department to verify the information.
The alert also provides these tips to avoid scams in the future:
+ Double-check the sender’s email address. It notes that a fake email address often has an extension similar to the regular address. For example, a dash in the legitimate email would be replaced by an underscore as follows: Legitimate: jsmith@abc-company.com Fraudulent: jsmith@abc_company.com
+ Don’t open any email from unknown parties. If you do, don’t click on any links or open any attachments as they often contain malware that accesses your computer system.
+ Always verify by phone before sending any money or data. Make it standard operating procedure for employees to confirm email requests for a wire transfer or any other confidential information. Also confirm face-to-face or through a phone call using previously known numbers versus numbers provided in an email.
+ Enable multi-factor authentication for business email accounts. If necessary, ask your IT department for help with this.
+ Forward and don’t reply to business emails. This is because forwarding requires you to type in an email address and ensures you use the recipient’s correct email.
In addition, the alert recommends that you know your customers’ and vendors’ habits, adding that it’s important to note any changes in business practices. This can include a change from using a business to a personal email address.
“The request could be fraudulent,” the alert notes. “Verify the request through a different source.”
An official from New Classic has not yet responded to HNN’s request for comment.
For more information on fraudulent email and other types of payment scams, click here.
