Drink mat scam

MONBULK Bowling Club is warning local businesses about a printing scam which claims to be raising money for the club.
A Queensland company has called Monbulk traders claiming to represent Monbulk Bowling Club and asking for sponsorship to print drink coasters and scorecards.
The club’s chairwoman Jenny Holmes said the callers demanded hundreds of dollars which they said was on behalf of the club.
“These people do not have any authorisation to represent Monbulk Bowling Club,” she said.
“They pretend they are authorised but they are not.”
Ms Holmes said the scam had happened before, targeted bowls and golf clubs, and seemed to re-appear every couple of years.
Unsuspecting local businesses think they are supporting the local clubs but none of the money – sometimes more than $1000 – reaches them.
“When we have printing done we use a local Monbulk printer,” Ms Holmes said.
“Why would we want to deal with a Queensland mob?”
She said businesses should contact the club before signing anything or handing over any money for sponsorship.
“If you get a phone call out of the blue, offering a special sponsorship deal with the Monbulk Bowling Club, then you should be suspicious,” she said.
“That is not how we do it. We deal face-to-face with our sponsors and they are invoiced directly from the Monbulk Bowling Club – not some faceless scammer in Queensland.”