Action Line: Can unsolicited ‘invoices’ wreck your credit?

A reader: I own a chiropractic practice and I just received an invoice from a company called CPU Service, Inc. The company sent us an invoice for $390. I have not done business with them nor I have I authorized any of my staff to do business with them. I’m not going to pay the bill. Can this affect my credit if I don’t pay it? What can I do to protect my business?

Action Line: Whenever you receive any unsolicited offer, the first thing to do is go to bbb.org/ccie and check them out. In reviewing the “invoice” that you sent, the disclaimer that is on the bottom is comparable to what we used to see for solicitations in the guise of an invoice to advertise in yellow page directories. The disclaimer states: “This is a proposal for the order of goods or services or both, and this is not a bill, invoice or statement of account due. You are under no obligation to make any payments on account of this account unless you accept this offer.” ALWAYS read the fine print BEFORE you sign or pay. You may also want to alert your accounting staff or anyone that accepts faxes, emails or opens your mail so that one of these solicitations in the guise of an invoice is not paid.

Better Business Bureau serving Central Oklahoma reports an “F” rating on CPU Service, Inc at PO Box 892363 in Oklahoma City. This company offers online computer support and consulting services. The business is sending faxes to other businesses and consumers that appear as a bill and it's not a legitimate bill. This company has 27 complaints since the company file was opened Nov. 11, 2014. To date all complaints have gone unanswered.

Consumers/businesses are advised not to give personal information to unknown agencies requesting payment. No legitimate company will ask for funds without showing justification for payment upon request.

BBB has been unable to verify the registration status of the business with the Oklahoma Secretary of State.

BBB has attempted to contact the business by mail but has yet to receive a response. The business is not located at the listed address.

Any individual or business owner who suspects that he or she may have been victimized by this business should file a complaint with BBB. Victims are also strongly urged to contact their state's Attorney General's Office, their local police and the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov) at 877-382-4357 to file a complaint.

As for your credit, it’s possible, but not likely in this case. You may want to go to annualcreditreport.com. There you can check your credit report for free once per year. If there is any inaccurate information on your report you may dispute that with the three major credit reporting agencies.

For a full BBB Business Review, go to http://fblinks.com/cpu.

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 7:53 AM with the headline "Action Line: Can unsolicited ‘invoices’ wreck your credit?."