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Beware fraudulent buyers Industry veteran J.R. Kliaman, president of Northridge, Calif.-based Wholesale Tape, warns the event industry about a rash of bogus buyers trying to defraud vendors. He notes a pattern in such attempted frauds:

• The email usually comes from a free domain (such as Yahoo or gmail)
• Purchaser information—such as company name, address and phone number—is omitted
• The requested quote does not include shipping; the "buyers" say their own shipper will pick it up
• The ship-to location is usually a residential address that is outside the vendor's area
• The contact phone number—if one is supplied—does not match the ship-to location area code
• The transaction is between $3,500 and $4,000
• The credit card being offered for payment does not correspond to the individual requesting a quote, and the billing Zip code does not match either the requester's address (if one is given) nor the ship-to location.

"I know it is easy to be caught in the selling trap, and we often feel that any sale is better than no sale," Kliaman says. "I caution you now that sometimes, no sale is better."