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Scam alert for EU listing

Patricia Roberts
24/10/2005

THOUSANDS OF north-west businesses are being warned not to fall victim to a new directory scam which aims to con thousands of pounds out of unwary firms.

The alert has gone out from Greater Manchester Chamber following the latest attempt to dupe companies into paying out for entries in a phoney directory.

This scam follows a familiar pattern. A letter, disguised as a request for information about the company arrives, but buried in the small print is a "legal" agreement and demand for payment for a listing in a guide which does not exist.

GMC's business support arm, ChamberLink, received a letter with a post-office box address in Utrecht in the Netherlands, asking it to check its entry in the forthcoming EU Company Directory, and to sign and return the form.

Expiry

The small print shows that this is an order and anyone and signing and returning the form has apparently committed themselves to paying 980 euros (nearly £700) a year unless written notice is received two months before the expiry of the subscription.

But the Chamber says the company is bogus, and is warning its members to watch out.

There is no listing on the Internet, and no telephone listing for such a company.

European Business adviser Derek Swann says this is the latest in a growing number of scam guides originating in Europe, which attempt to mislead or trap customers into paying out cash, and pressurise them with threats of court action when they realise they have made a mistake, and say they don't want to pay.

"They use bully boy tactics, and hope that firms will cave in and pay up. We advise to check out directories very carefully to make sure they are genuine, before they sign anything."

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