The FTC has sued Yellow Page B.V., Yellow Page (Netherlands) B.V.; Yellow Publishing Ltd.; and Yellow Data Services Ltd., for making false representations to businesses in the U.S. A temporary restraining order has been granted by a U.S. Federal Court fraudulent on the grounds that they falsely represented that businesses and nonprofits had a preexisting business relationship with them, and falsely represented that they were affiliated with a local yellow pages directory, in violation of the FTC Act. See details of the FTC action here:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/07/yellowpage.shtm
This site is dedicated to ferreting out as much information as possible about the Yellow Page, B.V. scam, (recently renamed Yellow Data Services LTD) sharing that information, and bringing to light all those who are cooperating with this outrageous rip-off.
If you've found this site chances are you have received a fax that looks like this:
I am wondering if anyone has been sued in court by Yellow Page, B.V. or their collection agencies. Also, if you have paid anything to Yellow Page, B.V. or Yellow Data Services LTD, I would be interested to know that.
331 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 331 of 331I read the fax as a credible one from Google as a Google sign was there with (ATT) Yellow Pages. As I know that YP is free and that I had moved, I filled it out and faxed it-knowing that for a contract ink sign is needed -fax one can be disowned. I recieved a bill on a FOOLSCAPE size paper not 7 1/2 by 11 inches page , one asking for $89 of 1122 for the year!! I have called same day-( 3 weeks after I had faxed) and spoken to cancell and threatened to call AG. I will not pay. I plan to file for harassment against these TERRORIST organization.So many have been TERRORIZED as I read these posting. Where is the Homeland Security Agency. These fellows should be on NO FLY LIST. Their office is in Netherlands and London.If I were in NY 250 Park Ave #700- I would have taken the same BASEBALL bat to their office that the Gov candidate was toting during elections.
The first year invoice i got had the yellow pages logo upside down, but the current invoice i just got now has the logo in the same position as the legit yellow pages. There is just a minor variance in the shape. Miss leading or what?
In Quebec,
I am pretty much in the same situation as "in kitchiner", contacted them threw BBB, recived a response (mail letter) offering a settlement for 714$. also, my last bill has the logo right side up to make it look legit.
As "in Kitchiner" stated they do not have any GST or any other tax numbers, I filled a complaint to my local tax agency about this as well, I suggest that you all add this to the agencies to whom we should file a complaint(RCMP, BBB, Competition Bureau, Tax Agency Canada)
Did any one in Canada realy get a letter from a colection agency?
here is the name of domain owner Mr Nicholas Coulias nick.coulias@yellowpublishing.com
Has anyone tried to go to their ISP and have the various IP addresses that they supposedly use for email and advertising black listed. If they can't communicate or advertise they are violating their own contract and can't collect. I think that would then put any attempt to collect money in the fraud category against them.
There is no surprise that I am another victim in this mess. Our company is located in Pennsylvania and we mistakenly signed the fax not realizing if wasn't the acctual yellow pages. We get an invoice for $1,068.00 and go through many calls saying the girl that signed the fax doesn't have authority to make such decisions. They still say we are legally bound, saying they will take us to court and we'll be submitted to a collection agency. A year went by and we didn't hear or recieve anything. Just this week we recieved another bill for $1,068.00. After this I did some research and found this page and many others. After reading comments I have filed with the FCC and Att. Gen. of PA and placed a call with the BBB in my area. Not sure if this will even help, but I'm hoping these people get stopped!
It has been over a month since Yellow Page called and told me they were sending my account to collections. I have not heard from a collection agency yet. I think collection is the last threat they have but do not follow through on. No legitimate collection agency should work with Yellow Page.
Black Hawk
I can tell the same story here in Iowa, but I don't know of anyone else but me . . . I have not paid anything and am waiting. I contacted the Attorney General of Iowa's office, and they said that they have heard of this. Also contacted BBB of New York.
I called in to them and told them that this was a mistake, and the lady seemed very understanding. Told me to write a letter and to send a copy of my driver's license so that they could verify my age.
I didn't . . .
What else can I do now?
Mad in Iowa
I just got a invoice in the mail stating i owe 398.00 what do I do? I don't want to go to collections it shows 02/09/11 '11 edition and it says due now havn't called them yet any ideas?
If you read the previous blog entries you should find all the answers you need
I just got my 1st reminder for an overdue invoice. I'm thinking of making an invoice for these guys and charging them for wasting my time and energy, and continually sending it to them. Then see what happens. Does anyone see that this could be a problem? I don't really want to get myself into a mess but I just wonder what they'd do about it...
We have been hit by this scam as well. They sent over the fax and I signed it thinking it was the "yellow pages" my boss called and faxed over that I was not authorized to sign a contract. they insisted that that was not their problem and we were stuck with the bill. We have decided after reading all of this that it is just a BIG SCAM! We are going to just call and let them know that we are not paying....has anyone ever actually got any legal notice? Thanks, Anika
I have just received another invoice from these people asking for $1428.00. My business is in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. Thanks to this blog I won't be sending any money, and would assist in any way needed to fight them until their shut down.
I will also be reporting them to the agencies I have seen in this blog. Hopefully some agency will be able to stop them. I can't believe they've been able to continue for this long.
They have a new site with forums
http://yellowpageforum.com/
Dutch, U.K. Online Directories Sued in Australia for Deceiving ...
Nov 9, 2010 ... Two Internet directory services based in the U.K. and the Netherlands ... Calls to Yellow Page Marketing in Amsterdam outside office hours were ... by more than 200companies in North America, Yellow Page Marketing said on its website. ... to a statement from California's attorney general's office. ...
www.bloomberg.com/.../dutch-u-k-online-directories-sued-in-australia-for-deceiving-businesses.html - Cached - Block all bloomberg.com results
Dutch, U.K. Online Directories Sued in Australia for Deceiving Businesses
By Joe Schneider - Nov 8, 2010 11:50 PM ET
Two Internet directory services based in the U.K. and the Netherlands were sued by Australia’s competition regulator for allegedly deceiving customers into thinking they were subscribing to Telstra Corp.’s Yellow Pages.
Yellow Page Marketing BV, based in Amsterdam, and Manchester, England-based Yellow Publishing Ltd. were sued in Federal Court in Melbourne for making false, misleading and deceptive representations about online directory business services, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in a release today. The companies sent businesses unsolicited faxes, with a banner that included the words “Yellow Page” and an inverted walking-fingers logo, according to the ACCC. Businesses that responded to the offer were charged A$3,096 ($3,135) for a two- year listing. The conditions appeared in fine print at the bottom of the fax, the ACCC said.
The competition regulator said it won a court order to serve the lawsuit on the companies in their home countries and an interim order prohibiting the directories from seeking payment from Australian businesses. Calls to Yellow Page Marketing in Amsterdam outside office hours were forwarded to an answering service and the company didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail. Contact information for Yellow Publishing wasn’t immediately available. On its Australian website, Yellow Page Marketing has posted an “urgent notice” saying it’s been advised that some people engaged in fraudulent phishing activities -- which usually refers to mass e-mails that are sent out soliciting payments with the hope some people will respond -- and that they may have “spoofed” the company’s websites and made demands for money. The case is ACCC v. Yellow Page Marketing BV. VID942/2010. Federal Court of Australia (Melbourne).To contact the reporters on this story: Joe Schneider in Sydney at jschneider5@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Douglas Wong at dwong19@bloomberg.net
Look-alike bills prey on the unsuspecting
May 27, 2010 at 8:01 am by Cathy Woodruff
Mary Gaudette saw the walking fingers and the words “yellow page” on the form that came out of the office fax machine and didn’t hesitate to fill out the updates that seemed to be requested for her boss’s ad in the phone book. Such schemes also are on the radar in New York. “It is something we are monitoring,” said a spokesman for state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. The Advocate can be reached at 454-5700 or advocate@timesunion.com.
MAYBE YOU CAN REST AFTER READING THE FOLLOWING
Dutch, U.K. Online Directories Sued in Australia for Deceiving Businesses
By Joe Schneider - Nov 8, 2010 11:50 PM ET
Two Internet directory services based in the U.K. and the Netherlands were sued by Australia’s competition regulator for allegedly deceiving customers into thinking they were subscribing to Telstra Corp.’s Yellow Pages.
Yellow Page Marketing BV, based in Amsterdam, and Manchester, England-based Yellow Publishing Ltd. were sued in Federal Court in Melbourne for making false, misleading and deceptive representations about online directory business services, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in a release today. The companies sent businesses unsolicited faxes, with a banner that included the words “Yellow Page” and an inverted walking-fingers logo, according to the ACCC. Businesses that responded to the offer were charged A$3,096 ($3,135) for a two- year listing. The conditions appeared in fine print at the bottom of the fax, the ACCC said.
The competition regulator said it won a court order to serve the lawsuit on the companies in their home countries and an interim order prohibiting the directories from seeking payment from Australian businesses. Calls to Yellow Page Marketing in Amsterdam outside office hours were forwarded to an answering service and the company didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail. Contact information for Yellow Publishing wasn’t immediately available. On its Australian website, Yellow Page Marketing has posted an “urgent notice” saying it’s been advised that some people engaged in fraudulent phishing activities -- which usually refers to mass e-mails that are sent out soliciting payments with the hope some people will respond -- and that they may have “spoofed” the company’s websites and made demands for money. The case is ACCC v. Yellow Page Marketing BV. VID942/2010. Federal Court of Australia (Melbourne).To contact the reporters on this story: Joe Schneider in Sydney at jschneider5@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Douglas Wong at dwong19@bloomberg.net
Look-alike bills prey on the unsuspecting
May 27, 2010 at 8:01 am by Cathy Woodruff
Mary Gaudette saw the walking fingers and the words “yellow page” on the form that came out of the office fax machine and didn’t hesitate to fill out the updates that seemed to be requested for her boss’s ad in the phone book. Such schemes also are on the radar in New York. “It is something we are monitoring,” said a spokesman for state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. The Advocate can be reached at 454-5700 or advocate@timesunion.com.
yellowpage-saskatchewan.com
i am also being pursued by them to pay an invoice over 1400.00 cnd$.
what is next?
Two things to get them off your back.
Since they are a foreign company, ask them what state is their "port of entry" and tell them you are filing with that state Attorney General and Department of state/bureau of taxation.
ALSO, threaten a counter lawsuit for violation of the "Junk Fax Prevention Act", passed by Congress in 2005. They sent an unsolicited fax.
You can also request they show proof of Purchase Order.
This is a scam! Don't pay!
we are also a victim of this scam, we did not pay last year and they are billing again for this year( 2year contract apparently) I will not be paying again. i have emailed them that this is the scam that our government has been warning us about and to never contact us again. we shall see if it works... the most recent letter also states that the contract will be automatically renewed if our subscription is not cancelled by registered letter at least 3 months before the two years end. I believe automatic renewals of this type are illegal activity in canada, any ideas?
hi, I from quebec and will not give them a cents. I also received an invoice. I know it a scam and it making me fuming mad. I just want to get my hand them. I file a complain with bbb, canada anit-fraud but please make sure that you also complain to revenue canada about missing business number or tax info. I talk to the scammer and she said that they do not have to pay tax since there in the Netherland. I'm sure revenue Canada would love that lign. If there any group legal action again them, I would love to be past of it.
Hi, the scam reach us but we will not pay. I was wondering if we can make our vote count in Canada, in this election year. If we band our vote together so that the fed go after these pigs. There got to be a way for all us victims to organize and make something happen, try to get Vic Toews attention with our vote. I tried to set up a yellowpage scam victim support group on facebook but fail for now, will try again. If anyone else manage to set it up, please let me know so that can joint. Thand everyone, we a all in the same boat again these scumbag.
from British Columbia.....
We also signed that very misleading fax last year. We are now into the second year of our 2 year contract which will expire in Feb of 2012. They state we must notify them at least 3 months before expiry date or our contract will roll-over for another year. We have not paid a penny and do not intend to. We had notice of debt collection pending dated May 28/10but have not heard anything. Now we received the billing for our second year. Very interesting that they would even mail that out!! My latest bill also had the familiar walking fingers turned in the correct position just as the legitimate YellowPages. Of note - there is no GST or HST number listed anywhere.
Hi everyone,
I read this article about yellow page b.v being prosecuted in Austria by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. We need to push all our agency in Canada and U.s. to go after these shits. If anyone ever need to go to court because of this please post it. Maybe we can help each other out.
If you are interested in the article follow this link http://www.thegovmonitor.com/economy/australia-cracks-down-on-fake-yellow-page-directories-42458.html
It about the Australian ACCC, that bringing those scum to court.
Don't pay them. Bottom line. Too many inconsistencies and no judge will favour them! Don't stress about it either. I sure haven't lost any sleep and don't intend on giving them a penny. As a matter of fact, I'm upset that I WASTED time faxing them their Invoice back! HAHAHA!
This is another example of the importance of reading material received in the mail or other source and not assuming that the bill is legitimate. Reading the document from Yellow Page shows that the bill is outrageous and should trigger very imaginable alarm. This one got by me but the cheque hasn't been cashed and I was able to put a "Stop Payment" on it. Be Smarter, all of us.
I have been recently scammed by this site. I thought I was updating my regular $15 dollar a month add. When I called them they said they would get back to me in two weeks. A month later I got a letter via email saying that it was too bad that I accidentally signed the agreement and they wanted their money. Unbelievable. My friend who is an attorney is writing them a letter.
Hi everyone,
Please don't pay or give them a dime.
Look at what happening to these scum in Australian and we need to push our Canadian agency to be as aggressive as them. They now own the Australian 2.7millions dollars.
check out this article: http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/983127/fromItemId/142
Just ignore them. I went through this in 2009....never paid and although they sent letters threatening to send to collections, it never happened. They are just trying to scare you into paying. They have no legal recourse and this would never go in their favor (in fact, probably be the end of their shenanigans) DON'T PAY THEM A CENT.
HAPPY HAPPY DAY! These scam artists have finally been fined 2.7 dollars in Melbourne! Let's hope Canada and the US follow suite. Do NOT pay them a cent!
in Canada, as posters above have suggested call the Competition Bureau they are very helpful, advised me not to pay them and I can respond if I want but it's not necessary. Also mentioned no reputable collection agency would ever do business with a company like this.
Company has no GST # so I couldn't pay them even if I wanted to.
simply go to their closest office and pay with gasoline 15 minutes after opening.
do the same in denmark.
the deliuvery of bad luck is the best defense. identify the employees/beneficiary of the requested funds and begin with leins against their property this is a good beginning. this also is a non violent beginning as you will be leaving a trail.
you must be fully committed to non violence if you take this path.
I have been retired for 5 years and never faxed anything to this scam company. I have been receiving debt collection letters for 2 years! Have also reported them to FTC and BBB of New York.
DON'T PAY! They have absolutely no recourse. They just want you to think they do.
Scammed in Quebec, Canada!
I,like the rest of you am getting scammed! Same story as everyone else...pay or else. They will not get a penny. Can't understand why these people don't get shut down and jailed???
Will file a complaint with the RCMP and BBB.
Thanks for keeping this blog alive, it a bit less embarassing when other have also been had like myself!
So glad I am not the only one! Scammed in PEI. Won't be paying!
My wife( we are in ontario ) signed their deceptive fax and now they are telling her they can reduce the 2 year contract to $357 and they would would go away. The problem is by paying these bills we are supporting and abetting this kind of fraudulent activity. Do not pay them a penny. Report them to the better business bureau located in Kitchener. Next report them to the fraud squad or the nearest police station . Photocopy all documents . Resist and fight this kind of evil. You can't even read their stupid mumbo jumbo legal jargon locking you into their 2 yr contract. Tell the collection agency if they get on your back that you cannot support fraudulent activity . I for one will them that I can't wait to go court to expose this the of evil.
My wife( we are in ontario ) signed their deceptive fax and now they are telling her they can reduce the 2 year contract to $357 and they would would go away. The problem is by paying these bills we are supporting and abetting this kind of fraudulent activity. Do not pay them a penny. Report them to the better business bureau located in Kitchener. Next report them to the fraud squad or the nearest police station . Photocopy all documents . Resist and fight this kind of evil. You can't even read their stupid mumbo jumbo legal jargon locking you into their 2 yr contract. Tell the collection agency if they get on your back that you cannot support fraudulent activity . I for one will them that I can't wait to go court to expose this the of evil.
They haven't been able to enlist a collection agency in Canada. DO NOT PAY.
I am also a victim of this scam. I have not paid them yet but I did sign the contract which they say i am legally bound to. I am not the one authorized to sign contracts and I thought I was simply updating our website information for the yellow pages or so i thought. Then I got the bill. I contacted the attorney general for NY who said it is a scam. Call the BBB and don't pay the bill. However, because the company wont respond to the BBB inquests into the business practices, they have dropped the case. So now the bills have startedcoming and the collection agency threats. What can I do to get out of this mess? My boss is afraid of the court costs and having our company turned over to collections.
This is exactly what they are counting on. DON'T PAY! In the states it is illegal to send a fax soliciting business without stating clearly that "This is not an invoice."
By Canadian law, for a contract to be valid, you have have the intent (aka desire) to enter in contract. Do not fret. In December 2010, I had signed the fax too, thinking it was legit. I have been through disrespecting phone calls, invoices, threats of collection, and dispute resolution. As of March 2011 I haven't heard anything from them. My best advice is to forget about, or torture them as a game. Do not let them get to you as they will not do anything as they have no legal claim. Every agency I have spoken with has said that I don't need to worry.
That being said, it is imparitive that we do our part by reporting them to every government agency that we can. The BBB, the RCMP Anti-fraud Centre, and Revenue Canada (for lack of GST) are just a start. If anymore agencies arise, please post it here so that we can get these bastards caught!
THEY WILL NOT TAKE YOU TO COURT. I am a collections professional and responded to an ad I saw online for "corporate collections." They contacted me, and I asked before I met with them to send me a link to their webpage. Well, they "forgot" and I showed up to this interview anyways.
I asked about their procedures, the amount of defaults they have and their fee structure for delinquent accounts. I learned:
1. They don't take anyone to small claims court (at least here in Canada). This is very strange, because if they felt the service they were offering was legit, why wouldn't they? My guess: They don't want the legal world involved.
2. They don't send to third party collection agencies. My guess: Because it is sleazy, and those who work in the collections department, aren't knowledgeable on collections at all! They are the same people who work in telemarketing centres and have no experience. They are making commission on this. They know most of you will default, and have a huge department to deal with you.
3. I was told they didn't currently have the ratio for customer defaults. My guess: Because almost everyone defaults!!! The whole point is, you didn't read the fine point and the contract was designed to mislead you.
4. I was told it's ok to lie to the customer. It's ok to say, you will be sent to collections and this will ruin your credit. My guess: Bully them and intimidate them if it works. Fuck customer service and fuck the customer.
CONCLUSION: If this was a valid service, in which they believed in, customer default would be small. Not the case. It's sleazy. BUT, always read the fine print! I deal with contracts daily and I go through contracts with the client, so they understand. They are educated, BY ME, about what the fine prints means, what happens if they default, etc. THIS IS A SCAM.
P.S. I turned down the job. I enjoy sleeping at night.
....
I was hit with the same scam here in massachusetts. I have been trying to cancel but the are saying the same thing to me as well. They are asking for 1088.00 for a listing. I am working with my attorney. Everytime I try to cancel they send me a message saying I am legally bound for 2 years. I have filed a complaint with the attorney general and BBB.
I am a stupid victim of this scam. I tried to tell them I thought they were Yellow Pages and I was just changing my adress and also that I was not authorized to do any signing for this company. They are demanding 1800.00 for a contract. HELP ME PLEASE. I do not want to lose my job over this.
due to the ongoing postal strike that we have in Canada we note that this will cause severe problems for many of our clients in effecting prompt payment. We would like to take this opportunity to offer payment by bank wire, via our service agent, Yellow Business Marking Ltd. to the account listed below. This will assist in avoiding further complications with late fees or unnecessary recovery procedures. We are also pleased to be able to offer a $28 CAD discount for prompt payment using this method
yours faithfully
Accounts Department
Yellow Page Marketing BV
lol since when do they have the right to sign as "yours faithfully" ?
Carol from Pennsylavania
I am also a victim of this scam when I received the same fax on 5/12/10. I called the company as soon as I received the first invoice for 1068.00 to cancel at which time I was told that was not possible. I asked to speak to someone else and never received a call back.
Today I spoke to someone who told me no one in the company calls back customers because they have so many customers it is impossible
to do that.I was told as a gesture of good will they would agree to settle this matter for 356.00 if paid within 20 days. If they don't receive payment within the time period I will owe 2136.00.
Can anyone tell me if I am legally bound for payment?
Anonymous said: I just got a invoice in the mail stating i owe 398.00 what do I do? I don't want to go to collections it shows 02/09/11 '11 edition and it says due now havn't called them yet any ideas?
I think this group's days are numbered. The Iowa Attorney General has shut them down in Iowa and it should only be a matter of time before other states close in on them. I say don't pay them anything.
Hi Everyone,
First off thank you to the creator of this site, we need to band together globally to fight scum like this.
Here is what you should do if you have signed there ridiculous contract:
1. Contact your BBB and file a complaint, they already have a F rating but keep the complaints coming because eventually they will get what is coming to them and the more documented complaints the better.
2. Fax them an official letter saying to stop your membership and that you were scammed. Demand they stop contacting you and that you will not be supporting there scam. I threatened to bill them for wasted time at $75/hr if they continued contacting me. State that this will be your final contact with them and threaten legal action if they continue to harrass you.
3. That's it ignore all of their mail and faxes there is nothing they can do it's all scare tactics.
4. Make some posts on the internet about how yellow-pages marketing BV is a scam so the search engines pick it up and no one pays these scum bags.
5. If anyone calls you make sure you give them a lecture about having no morals and that they should be ashamed of yourself (this will be tough bc they usually have hot sounding Australians running the call centre, just remember they are scummy milkbags.
I have been fighting Yellow Page since june of 2010. It got to the point they told me my account would be sent to collections. I did not hear anything from them for months, then just now i got ANOTHER invoice from them for my second year of service, even though i had asked for them to cancel that. But we all know how well this "company" treats their customers. I called them and said there is no way i am paying this and even tried to get them to tell me what collections company they work with, but she would not tell me. Sadi they work with various collections companies. I wish the RCMP and Competition Bureau would shut these leeches down.
We are another victim of these con artists. First I thought it was only our company until I searched for it online. WE live in BC, Canada and I just filed a complaint on Canadian Anti-fraud.com
This is an international Fraud...Ridiculousss
I just figured out something new about this company. We have been receiving an increased number of telemarketing calls since we signed that misleading fax. Today I asked one of these companies how they got our information. Turns out they got it from Yellow Page Marketing. So I guess not only do they provide a useless "service" but they sell our company information to third parties for telemarketing purposes. Be on gaurd!
Hey all, I've seen that some of you have been recieving calls from the Yellow Page B.V. legal department. If you are in the US, can you please post the number they are calling you from? Many people would like to know, it would be useful informatino for sure.
This scam company offered to let me off the hook for $89 . per their legal dept. I am referring this to my Italian Relatives in New York.
I too signed this in error. We work with Yellow Book on a reputable basis, so this came across my desk and in all the chaos, I didn't notice. We ahve not paid anything and I have sent emails canceling. I have contacted the BBB in Illinois. We have no intention of paying.
Just received it.
Thanks to your blog, didn't fall for it!
July 20/2011
We just got a fax as follows:
==============
YellowPage-Ontario.com
now with free submission to www.google.com
Please fax the completed form back to: 877-442-6173
Deadline: July 28,2011
===============
They want $119 CDN per month to "publish" our business info on "www.yellowpage-ontario.com". Naturally I know this is a con, but I'm posting this here to tell you that these jokers are still operating. They put this at the bottom of the fax:
================
Yellow Page Marketing BV
Zekeringsraat 17
1014 BM
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Yellow Business Marketing LTD
89 Younge Street
PO box 17071
Toronto ON
M5E 1Y2
info@yellowpage-canada.com
==================
Here is the domain-registration info for yellowpage-ontario.com:
fname: Jan
lname: Marks
org: Yellow Page Marketing B.V.
address: Fred. Roeskestr Postbus 71931
city: Amsterdam
pcode: 1008 EC
country: NL
phone: +31-20808005-6
fax: +31-20203113-8
email: info@yellowpage-group.com
updated: 2010-11-09 14:38:16
July 20/2011
We just got a fax as follows:
==============
YellowPage-Ontario.com
now with free submission to www.google.com
Please fax the completed form back to: 877-442-6173
Deadline: July 28,2011
===============
They want $119 CDN per month to "publish" our business info on "www.yellowpage-ontario.com". Naturally I know this is a con, but I'm posting this here to tell you that these jokers are still operating. They put this at the bottom of the fax:
================
Yellow Page Marketing BV
Zekeringsraat 17
1014 BM
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Yellow Business Marketing LTD
89 Younge Street
PO box 17071
Toronto ON
M5E 1Y2
info@yellowpage-canada.com
==================
Here is the domain-registration info for yellowpage-ontario.com:
fname: Jan
lname: Marks
org: Yellow Page Marketing B.V.
address: Fred. Roeskestr Postbus 71931
city: Amsterdam
pcode: 1008 EC
country: NL
phone: +31-20808005-6
fax: +31-20203113-8
email: info@yellowpage-group.com
updated: 2010-11-09 14:38:16
they violated the consumer protection act, 2002, because they made false and misleading representation - making us believe they are part of the yellowpages. i am not paying them. i already sent a complaint to the competition bureau here in ontario, canada. i am planning to send them an email stating this too.
Thank you for the information on this Blog, but they did get us anyways. Somebody signed the fax and they also say we are legally bound, even if the person was not authorized to sign.
They are really bad, and this is not the first time we fight with them, now everybody in the office know to stay away from Yellow page(s).
We also got involved in this crap by a combination of their coniving and my stupidity here in British Columbia. Looking at the posts on this wonderful blog, I felt much better and cancelled the lawyers appointment I had made. Sent the rodents (the Yellow Page Canada subvariety of the rodentia family) a registered letter terminating our "business relationship" and have no intentions of entering into any other correspondence with them ever again.
It is extremely interesting that these cockroaches showed up in Canada on this blog around the beginning of March last year. Since that time, dozens of Canadian companies have posted here, but there has not been one single instance where the procedings made it past blustering and threats by the lowlife insects at "Yellow Page Canada". I would agree with a previous post that indicated that they have not been able to secure a collections company to do their crap work.
Anyone in Ohio get support or can you offer any suggestions?
Has anyone in Ohio been scanned by them?
I am in Alberta Canada, and was also scammed by these guys. I called the Competition Bureau at: 1800-348-5358
She said they are investigating these crooks and that I should just disregard any mailings or faxes from them, regardless of wording.
Some of our laws here in Canada regarding these kinds of scamming are a little week in my mind. The Government needs to update there laws and put a stop to scammers in Canada..... period.
Thank you for this blog!!
Thank you Mr. Slaughter for your blog. Thank you to all the commenters.
Now that there is a combined effort from the FTC and the Canadian Competitions bureau there may be end to all this angst and nonsense
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/competition-bureau-sues-to-shut-down-business-directory-scam-1543503.htm
Good news for Canadians
Competition Bureau Sues to Shut Down Business Directory Scam
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/competition-bureau-sues-to-shut-down-business-directory-scam-1543503.htm
ChrisBradley says: Here's how they got us! We are a satallite office, we don't authorize or pay any bills out of this office. BUT! YellowPageHAWAII.com said "someone" in our office signed and authorized the 1068.00 + (60.00 late fee) invoice. So far, no one on their end will answer the phone, other than a nice recording with a very "UK" woman voice. I am now threatened with significant extra charges and collection. Scam? I belive so. Pay them, I don't think so. CB
What a relief for Canadians! I'm so happy that the Competition Bureau is taking this seriously and really making them pay! Kudos to those how helped in reporting them to the many agencies. WE DID IT!
Looks like they are getting what's coming to them from every country they had infiltrated!
Thanks for all the information!! Much appreciated. I have filed a complaint with the Competition Bureau and have also talked with them on the phone. They told me not to pay anything and it's not a contract. I was very relieve to hear they are taking action and very happy with all the advice I have seen on the web and here. Thanks again.
we have been scamed too.
We were scamed too here in Whistler BC Canada.
Off to the RCMP to report them.
A..holes! xf1%-0#
Third post here.
Consumer Protection here in BC Canada said that they (yellowpage-britishcolumbia.com)are a legitimate buisiness.
Said that even though they are miss representing themselves they are still ligit.
Said they can do nothing.
Also said that the RCMP here in BC will do nothing.
So we are out of pocket C$1428.00
You are NOT out of pocket. Please don't pay them a cent. They are most certainly not legitimate. Please read this: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/07/yellowpage.shtm
The FTC has frozen their asests and are working at forcing them to pay back the victims they scammed.
We were also "invoiced" $1428 a few months ago. Must admit that I had some fun taunting them with various rude faxes (glad my mother did not read them!!). Got the usual letters in response, all of them signed, but with no associated name. Got tired of it all and simply stopped faxing them and they mysteriously went away. Mind you, it was around the time that our government launched the court action against them, so maybe they were too busy to write to me. Kind of miss them.
As for the poster who said the BC govt is saying these scum are legit, I have one word: Huh?!?!
Hi All, just an update from Canada: Yellow-Page-Canada.com is their new fake name. They have flipped their logo upside down, so it looks closer to the real logo, but it is a mirror image of the scrolling fingers. The company is now registered in Dubai. And they're offering free Facebook services (creation of a page, presumably) instead of google.
Received a call today from someone at 347418-0489 claiming to be from the Yellow Pages stating that our owner had given authorization to any of the employees to cancel our listing. When I refused to authorize anything the caller became very mad and began calling me names and cussing. He has also harrassed a few of our employees. We would hang up and he would call back. This went on probably 15 times before he stopped calling. We have NOT received a fax, only these phone calls today. We are located in Kansas.
It is pretty interesting that from the time this wonderful blog (thanks again to the gentleman who spearheaded this effort) in early February of 2010 to the date that the joint governments of Canada and the States announced that they were taking these cockroaches to court, there were roughly 280 posts regarding businesses being scammed. Since late July of this year, there have only been 10 posts, few of which were regarding new cases of being scammed. Seems like the cockroaches do not like the light that is being shed upon them!
I too think we are a part of this scam. They are calling themselves general yellow pages.com. It is frustrating that these people are there and they prey upon people that do not know to say no or do not know that they are preying upon them. I will not be paying their "Invoice".
We have been hit also - sneeky devils! Thank you so much for all the info shared on this blog - it really helped me know what direction to go.
I contacted the Competition Bureau - 1 800 348 5358 - and they were most helpful! Their recommendation - DO NOT RESPOND in any way. Ignore them. If they call, tell them. "I did not order from you, I will not be paying and if you call again I will contact the RCMP and have harassment charges filled against you" If they continue to call then do just that.
The kind fellow then told me if I wanted to do anything else I could contact the Credit companies - Equfax (1800 465 7166)and Transunion (1 800 663 9980) and have them put my company on a 'Fraud Watch List".
I will be passing on this info to any business that I know so no one else gets caught.
sorry to continue from last comment - We are in the middle of Saskatchewan, Canada and the company that contacted us was Yellow-Page-Canada.com
Our office is in Nanaimo and we were scammed about 1 and 1/2 years ago - we have never paid and do not intend to. Today I received in the mail a renewal invoice for $255.00 billed annually from a company call Y.P.M. 8457 Newman Blvd, Sutie 102, Montreal,QC H8N 0A2 and they have a website address WWW.YP.COM - can anyone comment on this compnay? Is this legit or another such scam?
Does anyone know if the American Super Pages is affiliated with the BV/Yellow Data Services LTD scam? We just received a bill for $511.81 out of the blue and haven't been able to speak with a human being yet. At least BV had a web page you could see looked like a yellow pages website, this thing doesn't even have one.
I can't believe the number of comments here where a lawyer has suggested that they pay because of a potential contractual obligation if the person signed the bogus fax! If people are paying out of fear about the consequences of having their credit rating affected, I highly doubt any reputable credit rating agency such as Equifax or Trans Union would give these crooks the time of day.
yes i was one of those fools who spent good money on a "good" lawyer who told me to pay them. I wish i did neither.
We too got hit by this scam last July 2011 and received our first bill of $1068 last week from YelloPage-Arizona.com (Yellow Data Services). Our front office did sign the form and faxed back due to our current business relationship with the legit Yellow Pages. We do not intend to pay and notified the company as such. Thank you for this website.
Does anyone know how to get off their fax list?
Be careful: they've moved the office to a Dubai address(check fine print) and flipped the logo upside-down so it is the exact mirror image of the legitimate YellowPages logo.
Also be careful: they've added a note about "Facebook" and setting up a corporate account on behalf of your company. There's fine print that Facebook or Google may choose to take the listing down at any time--so, basically, if you pay and it doesn't show up, they can blame something else.
Also: They've started calling and leaving automated phone messages advertising free Google listings and more.
As annoying as the real YPG can be, they always have human beings call.
After months of not receiving a notice that I owe the ellusive $1,068.00. They have changed their name yet again to Factoring International AG! I plan on calling and informing them that I know what they're up to.
I contacted about 30 people to rectify this scam. I just received a letter from my local Attorney General with an attached letter from the Yellow Pages stating that they were dropping all charges, would not contact us again, and apologized for the confusion. If you have been a part of this scam, I recommend NOT paying and contacting your AG - worked great for me.
I am still getting a collection notice from a Factoring International AG out of Switzerland. This was from what looks like the same ad as on the home page, but with YellowPage-NorthCarolina.com sent to my physicians office. I did file a complaint with the NC AG office. I wont pay this.
I received a letter from them last year. They said they had a signed contract which I demanded to see. They said they would fax a copy over. 2 days later still nothing. I called again and they said they were working on it. One day later I received the fax with a forged copy that of my signature that doesn't even look close to my real signature. I told them it was a forgery. They said send them a real copy of my signature to prove it. I told them absolutely not! Why? So they could scan it, cut and paste it?!! I contacted my AG in Louisiana and never heard back. So far no marks on my credit report and my D&B rating is very high so I keep throwing them away.
We have been dealing with this issue for the last few months, after getting their fax a couple of years ago. We only received one 'bill' one time after the first year and had already told them to cancel within the allotted time stated before that. We thought it had been taken care of, until we received yet another bill and collection letter last summer stating we owed $1,068 for services we never received and had already asked to be cancelled. We also filed this with the FTC, BBB and the state commissioner as fraud/scam issues. The "real" yellow pages advised us not to pay it and that it was scam, as they are not affiliated. We assumed it had been taken care of and that they got the message. However, yesterday I received two new letters from them, informing us to mail our payment to a "Factoring International AG" company out of Switzerland. I tried their webpage (www.factoring-international.com), but could not locate any information on them being associated with this company. I also could not translate the site, and could not even verify what their company actually does. Not sure yet how we plan to proceed.
Ours started in 2009 as well and just yesterday received two letters. It's as if they hope the businesses have changed staff and or have forgotten. We will be ignoring these letters as well.
http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/03439.html
Check out this website! They are being made to pay!
I'm in CA and I mistakenly signed the contract and made 1 full payment of this "2 year contract." Being billed for 2nd year, but can find no listing at yellowpages-california.com. Anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed?
I'm in BC, Canada:
Has anyone received a phone call from them - not an invoice? I'm afraid I was duped... :o( They called offering the 30 day website and ad...then said they'd send an email with all the confirmations - which never came. At the beginning of the call they provided a phone number, but I didn't write it down because they hadn't finished explaining everything. They had me agree to the 30 day deal, then mentioned something about the cost going on my phone bill and hung up before I could say anything like NO! And of course...I never received an email from them. I don't know what to do. Not sure if it's the same company...no way to contact them. Please, somebody help this embarassed scam victim.
Looks like these Ass Hats are going by a different name... Factoring International AG out of Altendorf, Switzerland. Whatever you do DON'T PAY!!!
We are also a small business in California (UPS Store Franchisee) that got hit by this. We paid an invoice 3 years ago ($140) thinking it was the "real" yellow pages. We get an invoice every 4-5 months from these guys and ignore it, but it keeps coming. Has anyone in California had luck with the AG office, or anything else, to make these invoices go away?
They scammed a doctor's office in NY back in 2010, and were promptly reported to the NY BBB. Their letters stopped coming after that. Since then, the doctor's office closed, and their phones got moved to another medical office. Now this Factoring Intl AG has once again started sending letters, which get forwarded to the new medical office. The doctors are planning to sue them for disturbing patient care with their incessant mails and calls.
Take it to them and hurt them.
UPDATE: DO NOT FALL FOR THIS SCAM
Latest version of this scam in Canada comes from YELLOW-PAGES-CANADA.COM which has no relation to the actual Yellow Pages directory. The address provided on the fax form is:
Yellow Pages America Inc.
Torres De Las Americas,
15th Floor, Tower B,
Panama City, Panama
We've been receiving different versions of this scam for years and have reported them. Unfortunately it seems that it is successful in duping some so new versions keep popping up.
Hello, from Calgary, AB Canada. Same thing 2 years ago, received fax, and sent in thinking us for update info for real Yellow Pages. Anyways, received invoices and threats of collection for last 2 years.
Spoke with the Competition Bureau of Canada recently, was told you can just ignore them, as they have sued Yellow Page B.V. and ruling came back this March 2012 that these "contracts" are null and void.
If they are harrassing you with legal action for payment, just ignore them and let the Competition Bureau know so that they have more evidence to pursue them. Here is the link to the notice of the ruling:
http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/03439.html
So, at least in Canada, you don't need to worry and just ignore them.
FYI, the Competition Bureau worked together with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on this, who is also taking simultaneous legal action against Yellow Page B.V. So hopefully, those of you in the U.S. shouldn't have to worry about this either.
It looks like Factoring AG has now hired a debt collection phone agency by the name "Allied Interstate" to further this scam. They keep calling from 1 866 435 1646 to collect a debt. If they call you, just inform them that they are trying to represent a criminal organization. They cannot report to a credit bureau, they are just trying to shake you down and scare you into paying up over the phone!!
On Vancouver Island Canada, I also signed the fax for the same reason everyone else did.
When they sent the invoice I realised my error and after a few faxes going back and forth I told them to stop harrasing me and feel free to put us in the credit bureau. That was the last I heard of them. Good luck everyone.
We were duped in BC. I have filed complaints with the BBB, the Anti-Fraud Centre, and the Competition Bureau. We have been ignoring the letters, but the latest is threatening to have a lawyer contact us and possible legal action. I called the Competition Bureau and they didn't give me much input as to how to proceed.
I also mistakenly signed the contract and then received an invoice for $1,428.00 CAD. I hope he people (and I use the term loosely) behind this scam will burn in a very special level of hell.
I'm so glad I found this! I didn't even sign anything! They said I made an " oral contract" with them , but I think someone who previously worked here signed something and since I was the first person they talked to they slapped my name on it. Ridiculous .
Hello. I have the beginning of a solution. I have received a number of these fax sheets and almost faxed back the details but didn't. Now here is what I do.
Whenever I receive their fax I pick up some old flyers, junk mail or whatever and start faxing it to their toll free fax line. If we all did this it would clog up their system and cost them a lot in ink.
Just an idea.
This blog has been infested with spammers is there a moderator to ban these guys
It is heartening to read this blog. I was on the verge of accepting their 25% offer to protect my company's credit rating. I too was dealing with the legitimate Yellow Pages around the time this scamming fax arrived. I will be contacting the official agencies mentioned. Thanks
I just got a letter about this same issue. It is from a company called Direct Factoring eood. Address is MBE Huas PF 364 Hofstrasse 1 40723 Hilden Germany. They say they are collecting a debt of $1068 for a contract I signed with Yellow Page Marketing BV from July 2011. I called their phone# and and spoke to a woman. She is going to fax me a copy of the contract I signed within 24 hours. Not hard to pick this out as a scam. We'll see if they send me something.
I received the same letter from Factoring eood. We had paid $356 dollars for one year and told them we would make 2 more payments. Then I realized this was a scam and stopped paying. We have no received anything since June 2012. Now we just got the letter from factoring eood. Our office manager asked to fax a copy and they did fax a copy of the original signed agreement.
Hi There,
I have something called Open Buisiness Directory which has the site going by yellow-page-canada.com. They have sent the typical fax that assumes the role of yellow pages. Unknowingly I signed. After the first invoice I immediately sent an email asking for termination stating I have no marketing rights for this company. In return a letter was sent with the original signed copy. Regardless, I was misled and have contacted the BBB and the Competition Bureau. The Bureau has confirmed them to be linked to the Yellow Pages BV that has been court ordered for contracts to be NULL AND VOID by Canadians, but they still stated that they cannot give any legal advice. Does anyone know if there is a way to know if this will affect my bosses credit rating. It is hard for me to be assured, as it is not my name and rating on the line. Could someone with legal knowledge, or credit knowledge advise me best they can? Thanks so much everyone.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that my comment is stemming out of Calgary, Alberta Canada.
Thanks for your help.
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Moneycontrol
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Nov 2013
They are still operating in Canada, received a fax from them this morning, also they say you will get a free listing on facebook. Been getting them for years under various guises.
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I just created link in here Now I
try post yallow page scam
this one just try could I post
I being use yallowpage since 2004
call from yallowpage seller man !
I pay whole year just one bill come to my door, not every month
bills, That I tell yallowpage sellers, just send me one year
bill easy me to keep for tax
time ,
Until 2012 I thought cancel yallow
page AD because only 2-3 person call whole year !
In 2013 AUG yallowpage seller woman call me to renew, I said cancel no one call from yallowpage
I can't afford to pay ,
seller said, you can't cancel !
Why I say? seller say because all ready put my AD yallowpage 2014 ,
OK OK I said this is last year when you send me bill FEB 2014 then I want to cancel my AD , ok
she said ,
I ask how much for whole year 2014, She said $1,471,68 I ask
all inclusive No extra fee ???
she said no extra fee, I ask again just send me whole year one
bill same every years before ,
$1,471,68 bill come FEB 2014 ?
Yes she said.
In NOV 2013 I receive bill $47,25
I call yallowpage ask what this bill for?? every year come one bill in FEB for whole year , I
ready spoken to your yallowpage
sellers, she said all inclusive no other fees ?? I said I am Not
going to pay this $47,25 I do not
know what its , I ask what is this fee for ?
He say I will call you back , When
you will call me back???? He say 2 days but he never call me
back!!!!
Until FEB 19 2014 I receive $1,471,68 the whole year 2014 AD
bill , Then I just going to bank
paid same day , and few days late
I call yallowpage to cancel my AD
one woman tell me soo one will call you back ,
10 minute sellers woman call me back said I ready check you AD a
lot of people read your AD there
few person call you soon , I said
no thanks I want cancel, I can't
afford pay bill only 2 person call 2013 !!!
Then she say OK cancel until next
year your AD no more , I say of course until next year I ready paid my AD 2014 , I ask did you
check I paid , She say yes you paid.
Until MAY 24 2014 I receive another $47,25 bill , I was thought maybe I cancel they just
charge me some more money to cancel my AD, I went bank paid
$47,25 , then I was very happy
I finished yallowpage no more yallowpages .
And in APR 14 2014 I receive another bill $47,25 I call yallowpage ask what is this bill ?
I paid whole year bill and I receive $47,25 MAR 24 2014 , why send me another $47,25 , I said do not rip off me I am not rich I
work my self I am 50 years old , Now its really hard to pay your expansive yallowpage ad that I want to cancel , Then I said I do not going to pay this bill, I ready paid your bill , I don't know what this bill for !!
If you yallowpage try to rip me off, I am not going to scary you I
will fight you yallowpage, I if I
loose everything my life made I still fight your yallow page ,
she just said you don';t understand I finished phone,
In this month MAY 22 2014 I receive another $47,25 bill and Amount DUE is $94,50 means every month I have to pay $47,25 , I do not know what is that money I have to pay !!!???
I think something was really wrong yesterday I google yallowpage rip peoples off ??
I find a lot of peoples was yallowpage scam victim please every one help me what going to do next Call police ,
I do not know why yallow page blood suck with out reason Why
keep send me bill every month I do not know what is that money for !!!!!!!!!!!
Please help me friends
Thanks
Melody
I have been a victim and they have been harassing me for the past FIVE YEARS !!! PLEASE HELP !
My company has been scammed by this company as well, except they are named Yellow Marketing LTD-Idaho from Frankfurt, Germany. I did not realize when i signed that fax paper that it was to order some type of marketing. I thought i was updating our company's number for the free listings. I am not sure what to do now. If any one knows of how i should handle this or what to say i would appreciate anyone's help on this.
Thank you.
The real "Yellow Pages Group" have become just as unscrupulous as the scammers! They will call and record you, and then, with high-pressure sales tactics, pressure you into saying something that they will use to strong-arm you into paying, saying that the recording is a verbal agreement!!!
We have received a fax from a company called Yellow Marketing LTD. Is this a scammer.
It has their address as Frankfurt, Germany.. Email address: service@yellow-marketing.net
Phone 1-888-893-1696 and from their legal department of David West??????
I also received a letter from their legal department for Yellow Marketing Ltd for Yellow Pages North Carolina when we are in North Dakota. We thought we were just updating & correcting our free listing. We're supposed to send $2208 to their account with Barclays in the UK or send a check to Digital Marketing Support Ltd in the UK. I also recorded a complaint with the FTC & our state Attorney General. Do not pay if you receive something like this, the FTC says it is a scam.
Asking questions are actually good thing if you are not understanding anything fully, but this paragraph gives good understanding even.
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