Credit Scams: Someone Stole My Identity
A VAR 500 solution provider claims that someone hijacked his identity, set up a fake Web site using his name and logo and is now trying to order products in his name.
The deception is emblematic of a growing practice in which credit fraud scammers are accounting for untold millions in financial losses in the channel.
Doug Green, executive vice president of CCT Technologies, doing business as ComputerLand of Silicon Valley, said he first heard of the alleged scam when a San Diego-based solution provider, Ricoh Business Solutions, called him to inqiuire about a request-for-proposal for 860 HP inkjet cartridges and 300 Intel processors supposedly sent from ComputerLand of Silcon Valley. But Green said he only buys from authorized distributors and had never placed the order.
Upon further investigation, Green discovered that someone had built a Web site (clandsv.com) that closely resembled his company's own real Web site (cland.com). It lists the correct street address, but the phone number and email address are not associated with the real ComputerLand of Silicon Valley, he said. "It looks sophisticated for a three-day turnaround from the time we found out about it," Green said.
A call to the phone number listed on the fake Web site was automatically forwarded to a voice mailbox for "Doug Green."
The fake Web site was registered Sept. 4 and lists a Doug Green in Kentwood, Mich., as the administrator. A call to the Michigan phone number listed for the site administrator was not returned.
The real ComputerLand Silicon Valley is ranked No. 440 on this year's VAR 500 list with $31 million in revenue. The company has been around since 1991 and this is the first time it's been a victim of identity theft, Green said. He's hoping it doesn't turn into a big deal. "Some companies that didn't do the diligence checks as far as looking into it further may have been [hit] if they went by our credit references to set up a terms account. We have outstanding credit. It would have been no issue," Green said.
Green provided CMP Channel with copies of several documents related to the fake RFP, including a purchase order with ComputerLand of Silicon Valley letterhead, a Ricoh work order agreement with Green's fraudulent signature and the phone numbers listed from clandsv.com, and a hand-written credit application that the alleged scammers filled out for Ricoh using ComputerLand's personal information.
The credit application, signed Sept. 18, includes two of ComputerLand of Silicon Valley's legitimate bank account numbers and three trade references -- commercial lender and two distributors -- with whom the solution provider does business.
Next: Going To Great Lengths To Deceive
"I think they may have posed as a vendor at some point and got a hold of our credit references," Green said. "The signature [on the credit application] is totally bogus. It doesn't look anything like mine." Executives at Ricoh Business Solutions in San Diego could not be reached for comment.
Last month, Ricoh had forwarded to Green a ship-to address in Vista, Calif., where the person alleging to be Green wanted the products delivered. A man who answered the phone a number listed with the ship-to address identified himself as the owner of the company. He said the woman listed as the C/O on the ship-to address splits the rent on his office for her own business use. He said she was not there at the time. Twenty minutes later, the woman called back and said she had never heard of ComputerLand of Silicon Valley and was not associated with any fraudulent activity.
"I haven't given anybody permission to use my name. I haven't received any packages. I haven't ordered any packages. I don't know what this is about," the woman said.
CMP Channel also received a copy of an e-mail RFP sent to a Florida company that was purported to be from Green and ComputerLand. This e-mail was sent from a NetZero e-mail address, which tipped off the recipient that it could be a bogus order.
"That was the first thing that got my attention. I look for stuff from Yahoo, Hotmail," said ," said Michael Seale, president of Global Pre-Press Systems, Port St. Lucie, Fla. "We got burned several years ago from a company ordering product. We weren't smart enough in those days to check things better, but believe me it's very important now. It's disheartening. It really is." Seale's company provides pre-press solutions to the newspaper industry and is even only indirectly involved with computers.
"[The products in the RFP] are not even products that we carry," Seale said. "I checked out the actual company and saw the differences right away." ComputerLand of Silicon Valley has provided the FBI with information but Green said he has not heard back from the agency. "We've done everything we're supposed to do. We reported it to authorities," he said. "What else can you do?"
The FBI agent that received the solution provider's complaint did not return an e-mail to CMP Channel. ComputerLand of Silicon Valley has not lost any money itself, but Green is concerned that some companies may have shipped products to someone pretending to be him.
In the meantime, Green said all he can do is hope that his company's name can get clean. "I'm concerned someone is going to show up and say "Where's our money? We shipped 60 days ago and haven't been paid,'" Green said. "I'm waiting for that call. I know it's going to come."