Prestige Medical® has learned of scams that consist of product ordered through telephone relay services (typically used by the hearing impaired to make phone calls). BEWARE of any orders for large quantities of Littmann® stethoscopes and other medical products where your customer is using a credit card. The scam usually involves overnight deliveries, either drop shipped in the United States or shipping to Nigeria or Indonesia. Confirm the validity of the credit card with the issuing bank before you ship.

The Better Business Bureau offers the following advice to business owners to help identify fraud over telephone relay services:

• 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 customer that you will check with the bank and call them back. When you do that, keep good notes. Verify all information the customer provides. If a customer objects, explain that these procedures are for their protection, as well.

• If the customer still objects to providing any of the above information, abandon the conversation and advise that you are not prepared to do business this way.