Responsible Purchasing Guidelines

Departments occasionally receive questionable calls, emails, or invoices from suppliers using misleading marketing tactics. The following guidance will help you recognize and avoid these scams while protecting university resources.

Common Red Flags

How to Protect Your Department

• Never share P-Card information over the phone or by email unless you initiated the contact.
• Do not prepay for toner or office supplies.
• Avoid giving equipment details to unfamiliar vendors.
• Request a purchase order number if someone references a “renewal.”
• Decline unsolicited shipments or invoices from unknown suppliers.
• Do not agree to “send an invoice” just to end a sales call.
• Be cautious of blocked or unfamiliar caller IDs.
• Be cautious of unfamiliar invoices or order confirmations, calls requesting equipment or payment details, and offers that sound too good to be true.

If you encounter questionable sales tactics, contact the Supply Chain Management team immediately at supplychain@wustl.edu.

Toner and Supply Scams

Scammers often pose as office supply companies requesting copier model numbers, claiming to confirm an order or prevent a price increase. They may then ship and bill your department for toner you never ordered.

Advertising & Directory Scams

Some marketing firms send deceptive invoices for “directory listings” or “online ads.” These may appear legitimate and even use names like “Yellow Pages” or “Business Directory.” 

How to Spot Them:

• Always verify legitimacy before paying or responding.
• The invoice may include small print stating “This is a solicitation.”
• The “walking fingers” logo or “Yellow Pages” name can be used by anyone—it is not trademark protected.

Staff are advised to carefully review any documents from the following firms: