Con Artists Let their Fingers do the Walking... through your Wallet!

Austin, Texas, October 8, 2008 - Have you ever received a bill or invoice for a "business directory listing" you never ordered? Maybe you've even received a directory in the mail along with the invoice. The invoice might list one of your employees as having authorized the purchase, but it doesn't necessarily reflect a charge for a bona fide product or service.

Austin business owner Cathy Bollfrass was shocked when she received an invoice from a company called YP Corp that said she had to pay $40 a month for an online directory listing. Not only had she not signed up for the service, she had never even heard of the company. YP Corp says one of Cathy's employees authorized the listing.

A similar thing happened to Dr. Penny Phillips at her Corpus Christi medical office. A company called National Yellow Pages Online claimed her receptionist had authorized a listing in their directory. Dr. Phillips tells BBB when she tried to explain that her receptionist did not have the authority to order any services, a representative of the company threatened her, saying "You will make a payment. We have very good lawyers who will take you to court, and we never lose."

Both YP Corp and National Yellow Pages Online have unsatisfactory records with BBB. Las Vegas-based YP Corp has 63 complaints. National Yellow Pages Online, which is located in Illinois, has 95 complaints.

BBB warns that businesses, churches and charitable organizations are losing millions of dollars a year to bogus firms that mislead them into paying for unordered and unwanted directory listings.

According to BBB complaints, con artists trick an organization's employees into providing a name and address so a deceptive seller can bill the organization for an unordered - and often useless - business directory listing.

"These scammers often pretend to verify or renew a company's 'existing' directory listing," says Carrie A. Hurt, President and CEO of BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas. "Employees often provide the information because the scammers claim they've done so in the past. The scammer then sends as many urgent invoices as it takes to get paid. They create confusion and count on organizations to pay to avoid their hounding."

When you resist paying, the scam sellers may use high-pressure tactics, like bullying or threatening collection or legal action. Sometimes, they offer you a "better deal" with a phony discount. Or, if you received a directory, they may allow you to return it (if you pay the shipping costs), but insist you pay for the so-called listing. These directories usually are worthless; they are rarely distributed or promoted as promised. In any case, if you pay for the "listing," you likely will receive additional invoices ­- either from the same scam artists or from others who have bought your organization's contact information for a new scheme.

BBB advises business owners to protect themselves by alerting their staff to be on the look-out for disguised solicitations and carefully check suspicious bills from companies with which they don't normally do business. To check the reliability of any company, businesses may visit www.bbb.org.