I am pleased to present a guest contribution from Mr. Bill Zentner of Blue Book Services. Mr. Zentner serves as Vice President of Rating Services and brings over 24 years of experience in fresh produce trade, sales, and market analysis. In this contribution, he will share best practices on safeguarding your business against the growing risks of fraud and imposter activity.

Scammers are increasingly targeting the produce industry by posing as legitimate businesses to exploit trust and fraudulently acquire products and services.

Multiple companies have reported that scammers typically initiate contact via email, though they may also initiate verbal communication and use social media.

Observed email communications often feature generic canned introductory scripts and requests for credit applications. Despite poor grammar, scammers demonstrate industry knowledge.

Communications may appear to be from employees that are presently working for the company, but a past employee or one that was never connected has also been used.

Their email domains frequently differ from the legitimate company domains they claim to represent. For example, a real company email might be [email protected], while a scammer’s altered email could be [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected].

Scammer email signatures usually include logos and branding of the misrepresented company, and the phone numbers provided are often not found in Blue Book Online Services, though be mindful of phone spoofing.

If a credit application is offered and returned completed, it is crucial to validate the entire document and references, as they often contain bogus email domains and phone numbers as well.

This growing threat of impersonation fraud can lead to significant financial losses and damage to business reputations.

To safeguard your company and reduce the risk of falling victim to these schemes, consider these crucial steps:

1. Confirm Identities: Ensure you know exactly who you’re communicating with, and thoroughly vet new contacts or unfamiliar companies.
2. Verify Contact Information: Cross-check emails, phone numbers, and business references for authenticity. Watch for inconsistencies or suspicious communication patterns. Call the company directly after any suspicious contact.
3. Consult Blue Book Services: Validate business credentials by logging on to www.bluebookservices.com.
4. Report fraudulent or imposter activity: Contact the USDA-PACA division to report any suspicious activity by emailing [email protected].

Fraud is constantly evolving – stay vigilant and take these extra steps to reduce the rising risk of fraud.  Sharing experiences can help other industry participants stay informed and protected.

To share your experiences, email us at:  [email protected].

As always, I’m available to answer any questions you might have, and I will try to address them in upcoming blog posts. You may contact me at 949.885.4808 or email me at [email protected].