This title was first published in 2001. This volume deals with the problems caused to businesses by "scam merchants" who seek to extract money in return for goods or services of little or no value. The scams described include entries in directories sold in a misleading way, office consumables promoted to unsuspecting junior staff at outrageous prices, international advance fee frauds, "consultants" whose services are worthless, charity donations being misdirected and a range of "borderline" scams such as phone and fax line services charged at premium rates but of questionable value.

This title was first published in 2001. Purchasing scams are not a high profile topic in the boardroom or indeed in the purchasing department - victims don't like to talk about their experience. They don't want to admit that they were gullible enough to be fooled by a fake invoice or a plausible appeal for a bogus charity. And yet scams cost companies thousands of pounds every year! Purchasing Scams and How to Avoid Them provides a comprehensive and practical guide to avoiding scams in the first place: any initiative in relation to scams must focus on prevention rather than cure. It contains descriptions of all of the most common scams including bogus directories, over-priced office consumables and business consultants who are too good to be true. It also describes how the infamous and ubiquitous Nigeria scam works. Advice is given on how to avoid each and, most importantly, how to establish a purchasing function that will provide effective defences against the perpetrators of such operations.