Internet Scam: Fake Bills

These are received both in people's regular postal mailbox as well as their email boxes. This scam targets people who are processing a lot of invoices and do not look carefully at what those invoices are, or they are processing invoices for someone else (like an elderly relative). Despicable.

The Central California chapter of the Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to not respond to bogus invoices for payment that have been sent to homes throughout the United States. The notices are sent by several companies calling themselves U.S. Telecom, UST Dry Utilities,UST Inc. and UST Development Inc., and appear to be legitimate bills that need to be paid, the BBB said. “It’s targeted to people who are receiving a lot of invoices anyway. They’re sending it to people hoping that you’ll just be paying your bills and push it through,” said Blair Looney, chief executive of the chapter. Anyone who receives a bill from those companies should notify the BBB or law enforcement, Looney said.