A surprise toner shipment or “past due” printer-supply invoice can be a scam—not an accounts-payable emergency.[1][2] The Federal Trade Commission says office-supply schemes may send products a business never ordered, or send an invoice without shipping anything, hoping someone pays without checking.[1]
Stop before anyone pays or returns the box
Practical verification guidance: do not approve the invoice because it names your printer model, an employee, or a familiar-looking supplier.[2][3] First prove that an authorized person placed the order.[1] The FTC’s current small-business guidance says staff should check invoices closely and use clear approval procedures for vendors the company actually works with.[2]
How the toner-invoice trap works
The FTC describes callers who claim to be confirming an existing order, verifying an address, or offering a free catalog or sample.[3] Unordered merchandise then arrives, followed by pressure to pay.[3] A separate FTC alert warns that fake invoices may look legitimate, use a known company’s name, or arrive marked “past due” to create urgency.[2]
Practical verification guidance: knowing the printer model does not prove that a caller is your regular supplier.[3]
Affected—and not affected
- Act now: your business received toner, ink, cleaning supplies, or an invoice that cannot be matched to an approved purchase order, contract, or named requestor.[1][2]
- Higher risk: staff recently answered a call about a “free sample,” “existing order,” or address verification.[3]
- Probably routine: the shipment matches an approved purchase order or a verified copier-maintenance agreement, and the regular supplier confirms it through contact information already in your records.[2]
- Different problem: an email invoice with a link or attachment may also be phishing.[2] The FTC warns that fake invoice emails can be designed to get access to a business’s data or network.[2]
The 20-minute verification checklist
1. Quarantine the shipment and invoice
Practical evidence-preservation guidance: keep the box, packing slip, invoice, envelope, tracking label, and voicemail together; do not install the cartridge or discard the packaging while you verify the transaction.[2][3]
2. Search your own records first
- Practical check: Look for a purchase order, email approval, recorded call, card charge, or supply request.[1]
- Practical check: Ask the employee named on the invoice what they actually agreed to.[3]
- Practical check: Check whether toner is already included in a printer lease or maintenance contract.[2]
- Practical check: Compare the seller, remit-to address, quantity, model, unit price, shipping charge, and date with prior legitimate invoices.[2]
The FTC says businesses should investigate every invoice and not pay unless they know the items were authorized by the business or its staff.[3]
3. Verify through a known-good channel
Practical verification guidance: call your regular supplier or copier account manager using the number already stored in your contract, vendor file, or official website—not a number printed only on the surprise invoice.[2] Ask for the purchase-order number, exact requestor, order date, recorded authorization, full terms, and return instructions in writing.[3]
4. Separate three possible outcomes
- Verified order: process it through normal receiving and payment controls.[2]
- Honest vendor error: obtain a written credit and prepaid return instructions from a verified contact.[3]
- No authorized order: do not let pressure, a “past due” stamp, a claimed recording, or a threat of collections replace your records.[2][3]
The FTC says that when a business receives merchandise no one ordered, the seller cannot legally collect payment and the business does not have to return or pay for it—even if the item was used before the business realized it was unordered.[3] This is general federal consumer-protection information, not legal advice for a disputed contract. If an employee may have accepted terms, the amount is substantial, or collections activity begins, preserve the record and get qualified legal guidance before making admissions or sending payment.[2][3]
5. Report and contain
Report suspected fake invoices and office-supply scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; the FTC’s May 2026 alert directs businesses there for fake invoices and other scams.[2] Practical anti-phishing guidance: if an invoice arrived by email, do not use its payment link or open an unexpected attachment.[2]
Build a control that stops the next invoice
- One supply contact: the FTC recommends designating one person for inquiries about office supplies, “free” offers, and “existing” orders.[3]
- One approval trail: require a purchase-order number or named approver before receiving or paying for printer supplies.[2]
- One receiving log: record carrier, tracking number, sender, recipient, arrival date, and matching purchase order.[2]
- One vendor list: accounts payable should verify unfamiliar invoices before entering them.[2] The FTC recommends clear procedures for purchases and invoices from vendors the business actually uses.[2]
- Five minutes of staff training: the FTC calls trained staff the best defense and recommends warning people who answer the main phone about fake-friendly supply callers.[3]
Good process versus expensive shortcut
Phone readers: swipe the table left to see every column.
| Good process | Expensive shortcut |
|---|---|
| Match the invoice to a purchase order and requestor.[2] | Pay because the invoice names the right printer.[2] |
| Call the supplier through the vendor master or signed contract.[2] | Call only the number printed on the surprise bill.[2] |
| Route supply calls to one trained person.[3] | Let any employee “confirm” an order or accept a free sample.[3] |
| Document the dispute and preserve every record.[2] | Pay a reduced amount just to stop the calls.[3] |
Two examples
Routine shipment: a cartridge arrives from the copier company, matches the device’s lease agreement, and appears in the supplier portal under the correct account.[2] The office logs it and stores it.
Costly wrong turn: a caller asks a receptionist to “verify” the printer model and address.[3] Days later, toner and an inflated invoice arrive under the receptionist’s name.[3] Accounts payable sees “past due” and pays without checking.[2] The fix is not better printer software; it is a purchase-approval, receiving, and vendor-verification control.[2][3]
FAQ
The box has our correct printer model. Does that prove we ordered it?
No. Match the shipment to your own approval records and confirm through your established supplier contact.[2]
Should we pay a restocking fee to make the problem disappear?
Not before establishing that an authorized order existed. The FTC’s guidance says a business does not have to return or pay for merchandise no one ordered.[3] A disputed sale or ambiguous employee authorization can be different, so preserve the evidence and seek legal advice when needed.[3]
Could the invoice email itself be dangerous?
Yes. The FTC warns that some fake invoice emails are phishing attempts aimed at business data and networks.[2] Practical anti-phishing guidance: verify the vendor outside the email before opening attachments, following links, or entering credentials.[2]
What if our real printer is also malfunctioning?
Keep the billing question separate from the technical issue. For a stuck Windows queue, use our safe print-queue checklist before reinstalling the printer.[4] If the device will be returned or replaced, follow our printer data-erasure checklist first.[5]