New Home Business Problem

Sanford - A consumer alert for home business owners scammers are on the prowl and this time they're using a phone line for the hearing impaired to dupe you out of money or products.

Business owners are reporting the teletypewriter line or TTY is being used to make bogus orders costing local business owners big bucks.

Wendy Cavanaugh and her family live in Sanford and are facing tough economic times.

A couple of months ago she started selling Mary Kay Cosmetics.

A Saturday morning phone call really woke her up. Cavanaugh received a call from an 800 number which turned out to be a TTY Relay line.

Cavanaugh says the operator, speaking for the caller on the other end, asked if she sold Mary Kay Cosmetics. She said ‘yes’.

Cavanaugh immediately felt something was wrong by how vague the caller was about buying foundation.

“They said ‘do you have foundation and makeup?’ I said yes and they said ‘do you have ivory bronze’ and I said I’m sorry I don’t understand the question those are two different colors,” said Cavanaugh.

The two shades are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Cavanaugh said the caller wanted 30 bottles in different shades, wanted to know the price and then asked for Cavanaugh’s email address.

“They said ‘can you hold while I email you?’ I thought that was really strange if we are going to do the transaction through email why should I hold,” she said.

Cavanaugh hung up the phone and got on-line.

It turns out scammers using TTY lines is widespread. The Better Business Bureau warns scammers use the line because it has an operator to relay the message from the scammer to the victim and it blocks the caller's number.

Cavanaugh reached out to friends who are business owners and they say they've gotten the same type calls. She's just glad she wasn't taken.

“I would have been out of nearly $458 that’s a big chunk of money for my family,” said Cavanaugh.

The BBB says small businesses can follow this advice to help avoid fraud over telephone relay services:

-If caller is using TTY, ask customer for full name, address and phone number.

-Ask customer to provide the name of the issuing bank and toll free number listed on the back of all credit cards.

-Ask customer for credit card’s card verification code on the back of the card.

-Tell customer you will check with the bank and call them back

-If customer objects tell them it is for their protection, as well. If they still object abandon the conversation. For more information visit www.bbb.org.

Melissa DiPane
Reporter, Fox 35 News
35 Skyline Dr. Lake Mary, FL 32746
407-741-5130 desk
407-394-6219 cell