BISMARCK, N.D. (Legal Newsline) -- North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem on Tuesday issued a cease and desist order against a Wyoming company that allegedly attempted to collect on a bogus bill for office supplies that were never ordered.
The Cheyenne, Wyo.-based Direct Recovery Services Inc., and its principals, Ben Thompson, Ria Jones and Shawna Murphy, allegedly engaged in fraudulent practices as part of an office supply scam.
Direct Recovery Services allegedly threatened North Dakota entities with legal action to collect on a fake bill for toner cartridges and other office supplies that were never ordered or received.
The company also allegedly made false statements about proof of delivery of the fake office supplies in an effort to get a payment.
"This is a classic office supply scam with an additional twist of threats of legal action to collect on a bogus claim for office supplies that were never ordered or received," Stenehjem said in a statement.
Thompson, an officer of Direct Recovery Services, purportedly represents the company as a national firm of attorney investors purchasing qualified business-to-business delinquent debt and pursuing payment.
Parrell Grossman, the director of Stenehjem's Consumer Protection Division, alleged that Thompson would not cooperate in the inquiry and failed to respond to a civil investigative demand.