Have you ever cancelled something then months or years later you get a bill for the services you already cancelled? It can happen to anyone even a business. Because it happened to us.
We had cancelled a service in 2021. And low and behold, we received an invoice stating that we owe for the services we already cancelled. This didn’t just happen to us once; it had happened to us even 6 months after we cancelled the services the first time.
Of course, we always make sure to save any emails, documentation, or write down when we last contacted the vendor. And the last time we made sure to forward the dialog between us and the vendor confirming the cancellation. Well, since they sent us another invoice, for a service we no longer use or have been using for over 2 years now, we now have to waste my time in making sure they do their job and stop sending us invoices that aren’t relevant.
We have had other clients get invoices in the mail that weren’t even real. Most recently we had a client receive an invoice about their domain name saying that their domain name is about to expire and if they don’t pay the invoice, they will lose their domain name. Thus, making their emails and website not able to function.
Of course, our client got frantic thinking they would not have a functioning website, or their emails wouldn’t work, so they contacted us immediately to see if the invoice was legit. We explained to them that if the invoice did not come from C Three Business Consultants, knowing we take care of their emails and domain name, then they need not worry about that invoice. It’s a scam.
Unfortunately, we had other clients pay the scam invoice, later to realize it was a scam. So, they were out that money. And since it was less than $500 it made no sense for them to hire a lawyer to mitigate the issue.
Don’t be fooled by invoices you receive by email or in the mail. Make sure you do your due diligence and understand who your vendors are, where your current expenses are going, and how much you should be paying for your services. Knowing these things will help you determine what invoices are valid and what is a scam when you receive them.