New type of scam (where they claim to be a business marketer rather than a customer) Thread poster: George Trail
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George Trail 
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:47
Member (2009)
French to English
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A couple of weeks ago someone rang me up claiming to be from the "UK Business Finder" directory – whether or not they were impersonating a real entity I don't know. He addressed me by my name and correctly pointed out what I did for a living – then he said that it was time to renew my business marketing with his company – £239.99 for another 12 months. Although I didn't explicitly remember having done any business with them in the past, he did sound very convincing – and after all, with... See more A couple of weeks ago someone rang me up claiming to be from the "UK Business Finder" directory – whether or not they were impersonating a real entity I don't know. He addressed me by my name and correctly pointed out what I did for a living – then he said that it was time to renew my business marketing with his company – £239.99 for another 12 months. Although I didn't explicitly remember having done any business with them in the past, he did sound very convincing – and after all, with the marketing packages I have bought from certain other genuine companies, I just bought the idea that the "UK Business Finder" was one of the online directories I featured on following my purchase of such marketing packages, even though I didn’t verify its existence.
Anyway, we agreed that I would pay with a debit card, and soon enough I was giving him the 16-digit number on my Lloyds TSB card. So what happened after that? Well, for what I believed was a busy company, they were certainly quick to take my money, as I saw £239.99 disappear from my account literally by the end of the next day! And there was no VAT charges included with it, which I found a little odd, I’ve always paid VAT charges with my other online marketing purchases. But the real giveaway was when I got a receipt in my email account which seems to be an automated response from [email protected], even though it wasn’t an online purchase I did. I noticed that this company had a Gmail account, which only aroused my suspicion more. Another thing is that, while I gave them my 16-digit card number, they didn’t ask for my sort code and account number – does that make anyone else smell a rat? When I reported what had happened to me to Action Fraud UK they agreed that it was nothing but a scam. Thankfully, I successfully got my money back, even if it did mean that my bank had to destroy my card and I had to wait a week for a new one in the post. I’ve had no unwelcome repercussions from these people since.
But it hasn’t stopped. Some time later I got a similar call from someone else, but I didn’t buy it (no pun intended), and I haven’t heard from them since; not even a written notification that they no longer advertise my services ever since I refused to renew my marketing with them. So they must have been fraudsters like I suspected, having learned my lesson the unpleasant way. When I got another similar call from someone just today, I told them that I couldn’t remember having bought anything from them in the past and asked them if they could help redirect me to my account. Their response was a moment of silence before they hung up. Again, they must have been fraudsters too.
You don’t have to look too hard on the Internet to find information on new types of scam – it’s not just the Nigerian scam that has become infamous. Indeed, I remember when I read about the “Indian tech support fictitious malware on your computer” scam in the paper. Just be wary of this new type of scammer – the one I refer to as the “non-existent business marketer targeting entrepreneurs demanding a renewal fee for something that doesn’t exist” kind. The best advice I can give is to be sure to keep an updated list of people you’ve bought marketing packages from, and know exactly which directories your business is featured on following your purchasing of specific marketing packages! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 17:47
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| One of the Don'ts | Aug 31, 2012 |
Hi George,
sorry about your loss.
Looks like you fell for a phone scam, which is not all that common but still in pratice.
Did you have your bank cancel the withdrawl? I'm not sure what the time limit is in your country, but in Germany you can do it within 6 weeks after the transaction.
Even if you couldn't remember whether you've done business with that company or not, you should never 1. state your debit card number over the phone, 2. never i... See more Hi George,
sorry about your loss.
Looks like you fell for a phone scam, which is not all that common but still in pratice.
Did you have your bank cancel the withdrawl? I'm not sure what the time limit is in your country, but in Germany you can do it within 6 weeks after the transaction.
Even if you couldn't remember whether you've done business with that company or not, you should never 1. state your debit card number over the phone, 2. never in a hurry and 3. to an unknown company that you haven't verfied yet.
Verification can be done by requesting the person's name, phone number, email address and other business details that help you to contact them at your time. Especially the email address gives you the opportunity to locate the sender through their IP address.
Try to track down that company, if need be, with legal help.
Good luck! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tony M
France
Local time: 17:47
Member
French to English
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | Similar scam | Aug 31, 2012 |
Ages ago, when i first started and was eager to publicize my business, I got caught by one of these 'business directory' scams, forking out quite a large amount of money to have my business appear in a publication that was destined to be found on very many businessmen's desks. Of course I never heard from them again, and never received the promsied copy of said publication!
However, what was more serious was that a year or two later, I had a call from a guy using a different name an... See more Ages ago, when i first started and was eager to publicize my business, I got caught by one of these 'business directory' scams, forking out quite a large amount of money to have my business appear in a publication that was destined to be found on very many businessmen's desks. Of course I never heard from them again, and never received the promsied copy of said publication!
However, what was more serious was that a year or two later, I had a call from a guy using a different name and claiming to be from a different company, demanding that I honour payment of an 'automatic renewal' I had supposedly signed. I recognized his voice and manner, and so I queried the connection with the previous company (fearing that I might perhaps have inadvertently signed something), but he hotly denied it, and then became positively abusive and threatening. He claimed he had a signed fax from me promising to pay. Odd, since I have NEVER used fax and don't even possess the means to send or receive one. Fortunately, I didn't allow myself to be intimidated, but simply asked him to send me a photocopy of this mythical fax. Needless to say, I never heard from him again.
Still, his tone was so abusive and threatening, I could easily have given in and sent him a(nother) fat cheque for nothing. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | This is an ancient scam | Aug 31, 2012 |
I think it was in the late 70s. I was the marketing services manager at a manufacturing company here in Brazil, and received a long telex* message from Switzerland. It was very formal, and said that unless they received a telex from us telling them to 'Cancel' it within the next 48 hours, they would "renew" our company advertisement on a (bogus) worldwide business directory for "one more year... See more I think it was in the late 70s. I was the marketing services manager at a manufacturing company here in Brazil, and received a long telex* message from Switzerland. It was very formal, and said that unless they received a telex from us telling them to 'Cancel' it within the next 48 hours, they would "renew" our company advertisement on a (bogus) worldwide business directory for "one more year", and invoice us for umpteen hundred dollars, with automatic renewal on every anniversary.
* Telex - I've put a link to it because maybe many people today won't know/remember what it was.
I had immediately made my decision, however I requested confirmation from the legal department, and they agreed: Shred it!
A less watchful market assistant might have just have initialled it and sent to accounts payable. That's what they count on. ▲ Collapse
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kchansen
Local time: 17:47
English to Danish
| Old news I'm afraid | Sep 2, 2012 |
This type of scam has been around for some years in Denmark and is not only directed at translators. They typically call companies at random during the summer when the manager is on holiday and then get whichever poor secretary is filling in to believe that a business relationship already exists, and that it needs to be renewed immediately (Scammer trick number 1: Create sense of great urgency). They then send a (large) bill for "Directory services", and if the victim refuses to pay, the scammer... See more This type of scam has been around for some years in Denmark and is not only directed at translators. They typically call companies at random during the summer when the manager is on holiday and then get whichever poor secretary is filling in to believe that a business relationship already exists, and that it needs to be renewed immediately (Scammer trick number 1: Create sense of great urgency). They then send a (large) bill for "Directory services", and if the victim refuses to pay, the scammer claims that a verbal agreement now exists and is legally binding. ▲ Collapse
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