We lease our credit card terminal from our bank and receive all of our ribbon and paper at no additional charge as part of the lease agreement. We just call them and they send it right out to us. That's why I was stunned the first time I received a call from "customer service" to let us know they had our "order" ready. When asked where the person was calling from, she gave a vague name like "merchant services".

Luckily, I was aware of this sort of scam and simply hung up on the caller. Not everyone is as fortunate. One retailer I know is still trying to use up the six toner cartridges from the incident in which she fell victim.

Do you get calls like these from telemarketers?

Office supply scams are on the rise and its time for retailers to put extra precautions in place to avoid getting taken by these unscrupulous salesmen. Take a look at these 5 Ways to Avoid Office Supply Scams as recommended by the Federal Trade Commission.

Related:

• Shoplifting Prevention 101
• Recognizing Return Fraud
• Is Your Perimeter Secure?