and 

Small 

Manufacturers

When scammers target your business, 

it can hurt your reputation and your 

bottom line. 

Learn the signs of scams that target 

small manufacturers. 

Scammers 

Strategies: 

PRETENDING 

They make themselves seem believable by pretending to 

relate to a partner, supplier, or utility you know and with 

which you may do business. 

SENSE OF URGENCY 

They rush you into making a quick decision before you 

have all of the details or realize the offer isn’t real.

INTIMIDATION AND FEAR 

They tell you that something terrible is about to happen 

to get you to send a payment before you have a chance 

to check out their claims.

UNTRACEABLE PAYMENT

They often want payment through wire transfers, 

reloadable cards, cryptocurrency, or gift cards that are 

nearly impossible to reverse or track.

Common 

Scenarios

FAKE INVOICES

Scammers create phony invoices that look like they’re 

for products or services your business uses — like 

office supplies or materials. Scammers hope the 

person who pays your bills will assume the invoices 

are for things your company ordered and create that 

sense of urgency. They want you to pay first and ask 

questions later.

UNORDERED PRODUCTS

Someone calls to confirm an existing order of 

equipment or materials, to verify an address, or offer a 

free catalog or sample. When you give the information, 

unordered merchandise arrives at your doorstep, 

followed by high-pressure demands to pay for it. 

DIRECTORY LISTING & 

ADVERTISING SCAMS

Scammers pretend to be from the Yellow Pages or 

other directory listings. They may ask you to provide 

contact information for a “free” listing or say the call is 

simply to confirm your information. Later, you’ll get a 

big bill, and the scammers may use details or even a 

recording of the earlier call to pressure you to pay.

UTILITY COMPANY IMPOSTER 

SCAMS

Scammers pretend to call from a gas, electric, or 

water company saying your service is about to be 

interrupted. They want to scare you into believing a late 

bill must be paid immediately, often with a wire transfer, 

cryptocurrency, or a reloadable/gift card. Their timing is 

often carefully planned to create the greatest urgency.

GOVERNMENT AGENCY 

IMPOSTER SCAMS

Scammers impersonate government agents, 

threatening to suspend business licenses, impose 

fines, or even take legal action if you don’t pay taxes, 

renew government licenses or registrations, or other 

fees. Some manufacturers have been scared into 

buying workplace compliance posters that are available 

for free from the U.S. Department of Labor. Others 

have been tricked into paying to receive nonexistent 

business grants from fake government programs. 

Businesses have received letters, often claiming to be 

from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, warning 

that they’ll lose their trademarks if they don’t pay a 

fee immediately, or saying that they owe money for 

additional registration services.

TECH SUPPORT SCAMS

Tech support scams start with a call or an alarming 

pop-up message pretending to be from a well-known 

company, telling you there is a problem with your 

security. Their goal is to get your money, access to your 

computer, or both. They may ask you to pay them to fix 

a problem you don’t really have, or enroll your business 

in a nonexistent or useless computer maintenance 

program. They may even access sensitive data like 

passwords, credit card, and proprietary information.

BUSINESS PROMOTION & 

COACHING SCAMS

Some scammers sell bogus business coaching and 

internet promotion services. Using fake testimonials, 

videos, seminar presentations, and telemarketing calls, 

the scammers falsely promise amazing results and 

exclusive market research for people who pay their 

fees. They also may lure you in with low initial costs, 

only to ask for thousands of dollars later. 
SOCIAL ENGINEERING, PHISHING, & 

RANSOMWARE

Cyber scammers can trick employees into giving up 

confidential or sensitive information. It often starts 

with a phishing email, social media contact, or a call 

that seems to come from a trusted source, such as 

a supervisor or other senior employee, but creates 

urgency or fear. 

CHANGING ONLINE REVIEWS

Some scammers claim they can replace negative 

reviews of your product(s), or boost your scores on 

ratings sites. However, posting fake reviews is illegal.

CREDIT CARD PROCESSING & 

EQUIPMENT LEASING SCAMS

Scammers know that manufacturers are looking for 

ways to reduce costs. Some deceptively promise lower 

rates for processing credit card transactions, or better 

deals on equipment leasing. These scammers resort to 

fine print, half-truths, and flat-out lies to get a signature 

on a contract. Some unscrupulous sales agents ask 

manufacturers to sign documents that still have key 

terms left blank. Others have been known to change 

terms after the fact. 

FAKE CHECK SCAMS

Fake check scams happen when a scammer overpays 

with a check and asks you to wire the extra money to 

a third party. Scammers always have a delightful story 

to explain the overpayment — they’re stuck out of the 

country, they need you to cover taxes or fees, you’ll 

need to buy supplies, or something else. By the time 

the bank discovers you’ve deposited a bad check, the 

scammer already has the money you sent them, and 

you get to repay the bank.

Ways to Protect Your Business

TRAIN YOUR EMPLOYEES

• Explain to your staff the tactics used by scammers 

and share this brochure with them. 

• Encourage people to talk with their coworkers if 

they spot a scam. Scammers often target multiple 

people in a company, so an alert from one employee 

about a scam can help prevent others from being 

deceived.

• Train employees not to send passwords or sensitive 

information by email.

DON’T LET TECHNOLOGY 

FOOL YOU

• Don’t believe your caller ID. Scammers often fake 

caller ID information so you’ll be more likely to 

believe them when they claim to be a vendor you 

trust.

• Remember that email addresses and websites 

that look legitimate are easy for scammers to fake. 

Check the link carefully. Don’t open attachments or 

download files from unexpected emails.

• Secure your organization’s files, passwords, and 

financial information. For more information about 

protecting your computer systems, check out the 

MEP National Network’s Cybersecurity Resources 

for Manufacturers by visiting https://www.nist.gov/

mep/cybersecurity-resources-manufacturers. 

VERIFY INVOICES & PAYMENTS

• Check all invoices closely. Never pay unless you 

know the bill is for items that were ordered and 

delivered.

• Make sure procedures are clear for approving 

invoices or expenditures. Limit the number of 

people who are authorized to place orders and pay 

invoices. Review your procedures to make sure 

major spending can’t be triggered by an unexpected 

call, email, or invoice.

• Pay attention to how someone asks you to pay. 

If you are asked to pay with a wire transfer, 

cryptocurrency, reloadable card, or gift card, you can 

bet it’s a scam.

KNOW WHO YOU ARE 

DEALING WITH

• Before doing business with a new company, search 

the company’s name online with the term “scam” or 

“complaint.” Read what others are saying about that 

company.

• When it comes to products and services for your 

business, ask for recommendations from trustworthy sources. Positive word-of-mouth input is 

more reliable than any sales pitch.

• Don’t pay for “free” information. Do your research 

or get help from the Manufacturing Extension 

Partnership (MEP) National Network, a publicprivate partnership with Centers in all 50 states and 

Puerto Rico dedicated to serving small and mediumsized manufacturers. 

REPORT

You can help stop a scam from happening to you or 

other manufacturers. If you spot a scam:

• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission 

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

• Alert your state Attorney General 

http://www.naag.org/

• Alert local law enforcement, many have 

Cybercrime units that can investigate

Contact your local MEP National NetworkTM Center for 

assistance or to learn more.

(800) MEP-4MFG

mfg@nist.gov

https://www.nist.gov/mep/mep-national-network