Mail fraud scams are those that may use the mail to seek money or other benefits from customers or other individuals. With a mail fraud scam, for example, you might offer an opportunity to purchase an item and then never fulfill it.
There are many different types of mail fraud that can occur, but many of them include collecting deposits, banking information or other kinds of personal information that are then used to defraud the victim.
Your business may not be fraudulent, and all your mailers or offers may be legitimate, but if there is a misunderstanding, you could be accused of mail fraud.
How could you be falsely accused of mail fraud?
Your business could be accused of mail fraud for taking money or information in exchange for a product that you do not deliver. For example, it’s common for some companies to send out sales catalogs. If you send out a catalog, receive payment for an item within it and then never deliver that product to the buyer, you could be accused of fraud.
Mistakes do happen. The mail may have lost the product that you sent out, or you may never have received the return letter that ordered a product. To protect your company, you should:
- Keep records of all catalog sales
- Keep records of all sales that are mailed out
- Track customer information in a dedicated system
- Respond to complaints or concerns in a reasonable time frame
Consumer fraud, including mailing fraud, costs consumers a significant amount of money annually, so you should do all you can to continue showing that your business is legitimate and has the products that people are requesting.
You can investigate claims of mail fraud, too
It may also be a good idea to investigate any fraud claim that is brought against you yourself. There have been cases where employees have committed fraud despite the business being legitimate and offering legitimate services or products. In that case, you may want to look into your options to defend your own company as well as to hold the offending employee responsible for scamming your customer base.
