Beware of Solicitations from Local Business Yellow Pages

BBB has recently received numerous complaints from consumers alleging they received a fraudulent invoice from Local Business Yellow Pages for an online directory listing. Consumers claim that Local Business Yellow Pages calls their business asking general questions to solicit a "yes" answer, although the person on the call does not actually agree to the service. Months later, consumers say Local Business Yellow Pages' collections department calls, with an edited recording created to verify a "verbal agreement" between the business and Local Business Yellow Pages, to collect on a bill for over $600.00. Local Business Yellow Pages has not yet responded to these consumer complaints. 

On June 28, 2013 BBB sent certified correspondence to Local Business Yellow Pages requesting their voluntary cooperation in resolving complaints on file with BBB and providing steps it will implement to eliminate the pattern of customer complaints. BBB will update this aspect of the Business Review once 
additional information becomes available.

Your BBB offers the following tips to help businesses avoid advertising scams:

• If a solicitation occurs over the phone, ask employees to have a company submit information in writing for you to verify accuracy. If the information is received in writing, be sure to read it fully and look for disclaimers that may be included indicating that you are approving advertising fees. 
• If a solicitation occurs over the internet or via email and the company is not one you recognize, make sure not to click on any of the links, confirmation buttons, or renewal buttons. By doing so you may be agreeing to receive or subscribe to an undesired service or listing, or could unleash a virus or spyware onto your computer.
• When trying to identify the solicitor, make sure to verify that the address that they are claiming to be from is brick and mortar- a "suite" can easily be a PO Box or a mail forwarding company, which means that the company's representatives are concealing their true location and will not be found at the address that is advertised. 

If your company falls victim to a yellow pages scam or winds up receiving an invoice for a service or product that was not authorized, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov and the Better Business Bureau at bbb.org.