Fraudsters have been tricking innocent victims into parting with up to £599 a time to place adverts for what they assumed was an online entry in "The Yellow Pages" although the company, which calls itself ‘The Yellow Pages 24’, has no connection to the genuine Yellow Pages.
Greenwich Council trading standards warn that the fraudsters operating under the name The Yellow Pages 24, may also be using variations of the "Yellow Pages" style and logo.
The fraudsters are also making threatening phone calls where they demand people sign their forms to cancel an advertisement they haven't even ordered.
The fraud is simple, yet has proved highly profitable for those behind it who appear to have been consistently targeting businesses, including schools and colleges across the country.
Busy businesses would not suspect they're the victims of a widespread and systematic fraud as some advertise with Yellow Pages anyway, so when an invoice purporting to be from the company arrives they diligently pay the bill. It is essential all businesses are confident they are dealing with a legitimate firm before parting with their money. If there is any doubt businesses should contact Consumer Direct – the national advice service on 08454 04 05 06.
The scam encourages businesses to transfer £499 or £599 straight into a German bank account by sending them bogus invoices, or sending cheques to mail box address in Oxford Street, London. Greenwich Council was alerted to the scam after receiving complaints from local businesses who had received invoices from The Yellow Pages 24.
Key advice for businesses include:
- Be careful when a company you don't know sends an invoice
- Double check that titles of firms match those which you know are legitimate
- Be aware of telephone calls, mailings through the post or emails that come out of the blue
- Make sure that all staff are aware of the scam
- Say no thank you to and put down the phone to bogus callers and shred unwanted mailings
- If in doubt contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06
Yell Ltd, the publisher of Yellow Pages directories and online directory Yell.com, has worked closely with trading standards colleagues and its lawyers and has taken a number of legal steps including a High Court injunction against Yellow Pages 24 . This resulted in the website being shut down and the fax number that Yellow Pages 24 was using as part of the scam being disconnected.