Markley Motors in Fort Collins is in the business of selling cars, and conducting transactions over the phone or the Internet has become common place.

Recently, the dealership received a phone order for a 2007 Honda and was given a credit card number to hold the vehicle until the shipping agent could arrange transportation to Hawaii. The dealership was also asked to take out a $2,000 advance on the card to pay the shipping agent.

Suspecting the deal was a scam -- the third in three years the dealership has encountered -- Roger Belisle, Markley’s General Manager, hit the brakes before it could go any further and called the Mountain States Better Business Bureau to help spread the word that the scam artists are still at it.

The incident mirrored a similar event just a few months earlier, Belisle said. That time the car order was placed in a poorly written e-mail.

The Bureau relies on long term members like Markley Motors to communicate suspected fraudulent business activity so that other businesses become more aware of scams. According to the Mountain States BBB, these types of scams are targeting all kinds of businesses nationwide. The buyer typically makes the purchase with a stolen credit card and wants to have the merchandise shipped out-of-state or to a foreign country.

Belisle said he ensures his staff is trained to spot the scams. The BBB suggests businesses take the following steps to protect themselves:

• If the customer is using a TTY Relay Operator, ask the customer for his/her full name, address and telephone number.
• Ask the customer to provide the name of the issuing bank and its toll-free customer service number as printed on the back of all credit cards.
• Ask the customer for the three or four digit Card Verification Code that is found near the account number on the back or front of a credit card.
• Tell the buyer that you will check with the bank and call them back. When you do that, keep good notes. Verify all information the buyer gives. If a buyer objects, explain that these procedures are for their protection as well.
• If the caller still objects to providing any of the above information, abandon the conversation and advise that you are not prepared to do business this way.
• If the buyer insists on paying with a certified check, wait until the funds are in your bank account, before shipping the merchandise.

For additional tips on spotting scams, visit www.mountainstates.bbb.org, or call 970-484-1348.