Newspaper subscribers should be wary of phony subscription invoices that are making their way into mailboxes across the United States, an administrator of circulation for The Bradford Era said Friday. 

Tom Foley, director of circulation for The Era and the Olean Times Herald, said there are third-party businesses sending false mailers to newspaper subscribers requesting payments that exceed the cost of regular subscription rates.

“The Era’s rate is $48.50 for a 90-day period,” Foley said. “If a customer receives a mailer requesting anything more than that, or if the bill asks for anything more than what they paid during their last renewal, it’s garbage. We haven’t changed our current rates.”

He added that the deceptive notices contain self-addressed postage with a post office box or mailing address that is located in a different state. Foley said The Era doesn’t bill its subscribers using that method. 

“Our bills are sent in a postcard format. It doesn’t contain a self-addressed envelope,” he said.

Foley said he hasn’t received any reports of the scam from Era or Times Herald subscribers, but he encourages subscribers to call The Era at 368-3173 if they believe they have received a bogus billing notice. 

According to the Federal Trade Commission, customers should be leery if they receive newspaper renewal bills in the mail that operate under the name Publishers Billing Center.

The Newspaper Association of America reported newspaper customers should watch out for bills from Circulation Billing Services, Publishers Billing Emporium, Readers Payment Service and Associated Publisher. 

“These businesses seem to be operated by criminals who act quickly,” said Foley. “If they make a grand then they (disappear) by changing their P.O. box. We don’t want to see our subscribers get caught up in this scam, so they should call the newspaper if they have any questions about their bill.”