Reports of scammers phoning businesses claiming to be collecting for Yellow Pages advertising have cropped up again in B.C. — and there are simple steps to take to protect yourself.
Mark Fernandes, spokesman for the Better Business Bureau in B.C., said scammers claiming to be collecting for Yellow Pages is a chronic problem, with complaints about it coming in almost every month.
It’s a variation on an old trick, sending fake invoices for common business supplies such as printer cartridges and paper in hopes of sliding them by a busy office administrator.
Fernandes said businesses are also concerned about bad credit reports from missed invoices.
“Unfortunately, a lot of these companies that claim the Yellow Pages brand are not located in North America,” he said.
Some appear to be coming from the United Kingdom, but the BBB is unable to confirm their real location.
Yellow Pages Group spokesperson Fiona Story said the company is a frequent target for this kind of fraud because of its venerable brand.
It sponsors an annual fraud-awareness campaign in March and offers downloadable pamphlets and other resources on its website at yellowpages360solution.ca/resources/fraud/.
Customers who receive a questionable solicitation can check it by calling the Yellow Pages Group customer service department at 1-877-909-9356.
Yellow Pages Group won a lawsuit in 2012 against a copycat organization doing business as “Yellow Page Ontario,” “Yellow Page Quebec” and similar names.
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice ordered the parent company to reimburse people who paid fake invoices and imposed punitive damages.
For information on similar suspicious bills or phone calls from businesses other than Yellow Pages Group, contact the Better Business Bureau of Mainland B.C. through its website at mainlandbc.bbb.org.
