Invoice from ECF / Paul Buswell ?

[John Upham]

The Treasurer of Hampshire Junior Congress has received an invoice by email regarding the Hampshire Junior Congress for

£142.50

The URL given looks very dodgy and I am going nowhere near it.

Here is the text of the message :

From: Paul Buswell <[email protected]>
Date: 2 January 2018 at 16:09:12 GMT
To: Hampshire Junior Chess Congress <redacted>
Subject: Invoice INV-5581 from English Chess Federation for Hampshire Junior Chess Congress
Reply-To: [email protected]
Invoice INV-5581 from English Chess Federation for Hampshire Junior Chess Congress
Hello

Here's invoice INV-5581 for £142.50.

The amount outstanding of £142.50 is due on 01 Feb 2018.

Payment can be made direct via the Paypal link on the invoice, by BACS using the bank details provided at the foot of the invoice, or by cheque to the ECF office.

View your bill online:

From your online bill you can print a PDF, export a CSV, or create a free login and view your outstanding bills.

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Thankyou,
English Chess Federation
01424 775222

Comments please !

[Michael Farthing]

Err.. Why not just ring the ECF office?

[John Upham]

Err.. Why not just ring the ECF office?

Are you impersonating Alex H. Micheal ?

I was hoping he would suggest that before anyone else.

John

[Michael Farthing]

Well I have been rather speaking against him in another thread, so if I've helped him out here perhaps I can creep back into his good books
But you haven't actually explained why the office hasn't been contacted.

FWIW Paul Buswell is the name you might expect to see on a bill and the suggestion of sending a cheque to the ECF office doesn't seem a likely tactic from a fraudster (unless, of course, Paul himself is the fraudster, which strikes me as very out-of-character for him).

[IM Jack Rudd]

I've clicked on the link. The resulting page looks absolutely fine and what you'd expect from a communication of that nature.

[Carl Hibbard]

Xero is a well known online accounts package out of New Zealand we use it ourselves the rest I cannot comment on although posting the actual payment link isn’t cool.

[Michael Farthing]

Oh I don't know Carl! Maybe someone will click on it and accidentally pay the bill for Hampshire. Fly move by John, I'd say.

[David Sedgwick]

I've clicked on the link. The resulting page looks absolutely fine and what you'd expect from a communication of that nature.

Indeed so.

Comments please !

You don't have to read the invoice if you don't wish to do so. The Congress Treasurer just needs to send a cheque for £142.50 to the ECF Office.

[Carl Hibbard]

Oh I don't know Carl! Maybe someone will click on it and accidentally pay the bill for Hampshire. Fly move by John, I'd say.

Too late it’s gone even with this limited iPhone edit.

[Michael Farthing]

Spoilsport!

[Carl Hibbard]

Spoilsport!

John has some technical knowledge and should know better to be honest.

[Nick Grey]

John if you put a grading file together you will have to give details of where the bill gets sent to. Make a call if you have to. The person who was sending bills out passed away some time ago.

[Roger Lancaster]

Had similar experience with Paul, whom older contributors may remember from his BCF role, last year. It proved that the invoice we had been (via Hertfordshire CCA) sent was based on unreliable data over who was/was not an ECF member at a given point of time, and Paul was entirely receptive to legitimate information indicating it was largely incorrect - the invoice reduced to a nominal legitimate amount which Paul was happy to write off.

[Kevin Thurlow]

" It proved that the invoice we had been (via Hertfordshire CCA) sent was based on unreliable data over who was/was not an ECF member at a given point of time, and Paul was entirely receptive to legitimate information indicating it was largely incorrect - the invoice reduced to a nominal legitimate amount which Paul was happy to write off."

I have recently had conversations with DWP and HMRC, where they sent me incorrect information, I provided proof of the correct info, and they said, "OK then". I assumed this was a tactic to save them work, and most people would just accept their version. Obviously, the ECF wouldn't do that!

[Michael Farthing]

I think in fairness to the office it should be pointed out that over the last year there have been considerable gaps of knowledge as a result of the sudden death of John Philpott.