Business Directory Renewal Scam

In the ongoing murky world of cybercrime, the next thing you need to watch out for are bogus directory renewals.

Most businesses sign up with multiple business directories, and a lot of businesses will forget who they have signed up with, which makes this scam even more plausible.

Recent versions of this scam are calls from "The UK Business Directory", asking you to renew your advertising via credit card. There is a reputable directory of the same name that has put up an advisory notice.

Today we have had one of our customers being asked to renew, with a scumbag claiming to represent us

Luckily, the business in question was switched on, as she had taken out a Lifetime Listing with us, which doesn't need to be renewed, so was immediately suspicious.

If anyone else is approached, please let me know, and if you can grab any contact details or information, the Police would love to have them, as this is 100% illegal cyber crime.

It seems numerous directories are being targeted, so be aware. If you have an annual subscription with a directory, make sure they are who they say they are before handing over any money! Quickest way to check is to ask for the website address, and then telephone the number on the actual website.

If you don't recognize the website, or have no previous invoices then run away.

If you do fall prey to this type of scam, contact your credit company immediately and report a fraudulent transaction.

__________________
cheers Steve
Forum Admin - teaboy and general gofer...

Forum Rules and FAQ's at a glance | Find me on Google+ | or even Facebook!

My Local Services - The UK and US Online Business Directory | JobsVitae - Recruitment Help and CV Creation

If you're here to spam, then expect a ban

They were regularly going through my directory and calling people saying their listing had expired and was up for renewal.

First I knew about it was when someone phoned me wanting to know what happens next.

They had paid this other lot £130 thinking they were paying for an upgrade in my directory.

I have a number of honeypot listings in my directory and have had them on the phone numerous times so know who they are.
(haven't had them for a while as I block IP'S and had to remove phone numbers whilst warning people about them)

Unfortunately, there is little I can do (too small) as they are very crafty in what they say,
i.e make people think they are other directories without directly implying it.

PM me if you want their URL

Good feedback, haven't had any honeypot listings tripped by these yet, so was new to us when a customer told us about it

Our honeypot ones seem to catch the scouse and mancunian based emergency services scams, though, that's been quiet for a while.

Deffo interested in any URL you have, can you PM me? Though think trading standards are bored of us by now

__________________
cheers Steve
Forum Admin - teaboy and general gofer...

Forum Rules and FAQ's at a glance | Find me on Google+ | or even Facebook!

My Local Services - The UK and US Online Business Directory | JobsVitae - Recruitment Help and CV Creation

If you're here to spam, then expect a ban

I just signed up to the forums so that I could post a reply to this thread.

I work as a receptionist/apprentice in a tattoo shop in Cheshire - Royal Owl Tattoo Studio. We literally recieved a phone call a few minutes ago from someone claiming to work for buisness directory enquiries & I thought that you'd want to hear what happened.

He asked me if I was in charge of advertising for the company, & told him that no, I wasn't the buisness owner, but I should beable to help him. He then said that in order to continue the call he would have to talk with someone authorised to make a payment. This immediately struck me as odd, so I asked him again where he was calling from.

My boss & the owner of the buisness then asked me to pass the phone to him & he continued with the call. We both automatically assumed it was some sort of a scam & as soon as the person on the other end realised he wasn't going to get anywhere with us he abruptly hung up the call.

All my boss managed to get out of him was that he was calling from UK Buisness Directories, he was asking for a payment of £99.99 in to cover us for two years & when we asked for his name he said it was "Rob McSpirit".

Not sure how much help this is, but I thought it'd be worth posting.

Thanks!
Bex, Royal Owl

Thanks Bex, and welcome.

Yep, you just evaded a scam, well done

You did all the right things, and as expected, these conmen can soon tell when someones a bit savvy and you get the phone slammed down

It's good to see the forum thread and message is getting out there!

__________________
cheers Steve
Forum Admin - teaboy and general gofer...

Forum Rules and FAQ's at a glance | Find me on Google+ | or even Facebook!

My Local Services - The UK and US Online Business Directory | JobsVitae - Recruitment Help and CV Creation

If you're here to spam, then expect a ban