Beware false 'prophets'

17/1/07
Small Business Minister Margaret Quirk has today issued an urgent warning, alerting small business operators to be aware of fraudsters claiming to represent the State Government.
The fraudsters issued a fine to a Fremantle restaurateur on behalf of the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) in relation to supposed breaches of social security and taxation laws. The business operator was asked to surrender all profits made within the last 72 hours of business transactions and was then issued with a fake receipt.
Ms Quirk said the police had been notified of the scam, and the SBDC advisors had assisted the restaurateur in his dealings with authorities.
"The SBDC is working with the business owner to ensure the matter is dealt with as quickly as possible before any other businesses are affected," she said.
"The Small Business Development Corporation does not issue fines, nor does it undertake 'investigations' of small business, so if any other small business operators have been approached in this way, they should contact the police immediately.
"Furthermore, State Government agencies do not issue fines which require immediate payment. "
The Minister said the blatant nature of this fraud was of great concern.
"Small business operators, particularly those with English as a second language, can be vulnerable to fraud and scams of this type, but all small business operators should be vigilant," she said.
"A close reading of the fake document revealed the fraudsters had used the word 'prophet' instead of profit. This may have alerted a vigilant business operator to the scam.
"Asking to see official identification is one way of double checking the bona-fides of people claiming to represent Government departments, and telephoning the agency to double check their identity is another."
Anyone who has concerns that they may have fallen victim to this or any other scam should contact the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection on 1300136 237 or their nearest police station.
Minister's office - 9213 7000