A Manhattan, Kansas, branded apparel company is out $100,000 after fraudsters posed as hospital employees looking for merchandise.
According to WIBW, the suspects came to Champion Teamwear and said they were employees of New York Presbyterian Hospital, and ordered more than $100,000 in merchandise, which Champion Teamwear fulfilled but never got paid for.
This type of fraud is unfortunately common in the promotional products industry.
In August of 2022, multiple fire departments in North Carolina and New York reported that T-shirt sellers were posing as the fire department on social media to sell T-shirts, claiming that proceeds would benefit the departments. Obviously, the actual fire departments never saw a dime of that money.
In January 2021, at the height of the pandemic and PPE boom, one Philadelphia man claimed to have connections to a medical gown manufacturer and agreed to a sale of 1.5 million medical gowns — worth a total of $7.125. After customers wired him the money, he spent it all on personal expenses like cars, dinners and travel, all while he sent photos to mislead the buyers into thinking the gowns were being prepped for shipment.
Another promotional products distributor was charged with posing as a 3M rep to sell N95 masks.
Police in Manhattan, KS, are investigating the case, and the Riley County Police Department is asking anyone with information to contact them.
