Medium riskBusiness

Office Supplies & Toner Scam

In this scam, 'toner pirates' or supply firms ship unordered printer toner or office supplies, then invoice the business at inflated prices, often after a call 'confirming' details to seem legitimate.

Quick verdict

Risk level
Medium risk
Scam type
Unordered goods / fake invoice (business)
Main red flag
Invoices or deliveries of office supplies your business never ordered.
What to do first
Do not pay for unordered goods; verify against your purchase records.

How this scam works

In this scam, 'toner pirates' or supply firms ship unordered printer toner or office supplies, then invoice the business at inflated prices, often after a call 'confirming' details to seem legitimate.

Small-business and workplace scams target companies with fake invoices, supplier and CEO impersonation, payroll diversion, bogus directory or registration fees, and purchase-order fraud. Business email compromise is among the costliest of all frauds.

In short, the giveaway is usually simple: Invoices or deliveries of office supplies your business never ordered. Do not pay for unordered goods; verify against your purchase records.

Scammers rotate tactics constantly, the same operation may also run the Directory Listing Scam and the Fake Invoice Email Scam. See the full Small Business & Workplace Scams guides hub, or test a suspicious message with the scam checker.

How to spot this scam

  • Deliveries of supplies you never ordered
  • A call 'confirming' details to seem legitimate
  • Inflated invoices for unordered goods
  • Pressure to pay quickly
  • A supplier not in your records

What the message looks like

Example pattern, not a real report
Example pattern: 'Confirming your toner order' followed by an unordered delivery and an inflated invoice demanding payment.

This is a fictional, anonymised example used to illustrate the pattern. It is not a verified real message, and any names are used only to show how the scam typically reads.

What gives it away: Invoices or deliveries of office supplies your business never ordered.

The scale of it

$2.9B
reported lost to business email compromise (BEC) in the US in 2023
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center
$12.5B
total reported internet-crime losses in the US in 2023
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center

How to protect yourself

  • Verify against your purchase orders and approved suppliers
  • Do not pay for goods you never ordered
  • Designate who can order supplies and confirm details
  • Report and return unordered goods per your rights

Already responded? Do this now

  • If you paid, contact your bank or payment provider to dispute it
  • Keep invoices and delivery notes as evidence
  • Report the supplier to consumer or business authorities
  • Warn staff who handle orders and calls

Mistakes to avoid

  • Do not pay for unordered supplies
  • Do not 'confirm' orders to unknown callers
  • Do not let inflated invoices pressure you

Related scams to know

Medium risk Business

Directory Listing Scam

In this scam, businesses receive official-looking invoices or 'renewal' notices for online or print directory listings they never ordered, hoping a busy team pays without checking.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
Medium risk Email

Fake Invoice Email Scam

This scam emails an invoice or receipt for something you did not buy, hoping you call a fake 'support' number or click a link to dispute it.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
High risk Marketplace

Fake Supplier Scam

A fake wholesale or B2B supplier advertises bulk goods at prices that beat the market, then asks for payment by bank transfer. Some vanish after the first order, while others build trust with small, genuine deliveries before disappearing on a large one. Because bank transfers offer little recourse, recovering the money is often very difficult.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team

Common questions

Do I have to pay for unordered goods?
Generally no. Unordered goods can often be treated as a gift, and you should not pay invoices for supplies you never ordered. Check your rights in your region.
Why do they call to 'confirm'?
A confirming call is used to seem legitimate and to extract a name they later cite as authorising the order. Designate who can order and confirm.
I paid an inflated invoice. What now?
Dispute the payment, keep invoices and delivery notes, report the supplier, and warn staff who handle orders.
How do we prevent this?
Use purchase orders, limit who can order and confirm, and verify all supply invoices against approved orders.

Last reviewed June 2026 · Written & reviewed by the

Disclaimer: This page provides educational information only to help you recognise common scam patterns. It is not legal, financial, cybersecurity, or law enforcement advice, and it does not confirm whether any specific message, company, or person is genuine or fraudulent. When in doubt, contact the official organisation directly and report concerns to your local authorities.