Phone Scam
Complaint
Tracey
Country: United States
This company called July 1, 2012 and said we owed $667.39 for services we never ordered, and they were sending us to a collection agency. They played a recording from March, when they had called to say we owed $599.00 from last year for services never ordered. They said the only way to cancel was to answer a series of specific questions. When I refused to say we owed them anything, they asked if I could "receive invoices" for my company. They recorded these answers and played them back to try to "prove" we owe them $667.00. This is a complete scam, and I told the "collection agent" Nathan Forbes as much. He ended up yelling at me and telling me it sounded like I had something to hide! I am now filing complaints with the state Attorney General and the BBB.
Comments
In addition, if you receive a fraudulent invoice by mail, file a mail fraud complaint with the US Postal Inspector.
Ignore their threats.
They can't do anything to you but harass and threaten you.
They're a bunch of liars.
I had a very bad feeling, but had no idea it was this bad of a scam.
So do they send it to collections? What is their next move? I have had the phone calls with threats, a fax and a letter in the mail...\
Is there anything else that I can do to clear this all up for my employer?
Thanks!
Primarily they prey on small businesses, schools, and churches, where they can play on the lack of business and legal sophistication and count on reaching some random employee who might not recognize this as a con. Probably not very effective with large businesses, with dedicated payables departments, payment authorization protocols, and legal departments. Probably useless against government agencies as well.
This is nothing but a fraudulent telemarketing scam, run out of Montreal Canada, which has been home for many similar fraudulent telemarketers for years. They typically use various US mail drops to appear "US based" and "legitimate", in this case some "rent a virtual office" in NYC, and often mail drops in Champlain NY, near the Canadian border and long popular with Canadian scams.
These days, their latest "innovation" is to use cheap Indian or Pakistani call centers, and they also work with a fraudulent New Jersey collection agency.
The game is always the same, deceptive calls to "verify your information" that are used to make doctored recordings they claim is "your authorization for a listing", or they just call and claim "you (or some employee they find on the internet) ordered this a year ago" (or even "three years ago", before they even used this name), but if you don't "cancel", they will "automatically renew" and you "owe more", while if you do "cancel", then you "owe and are agreeing to pay for these past years".
There are several variants, but this is a con, always has been, always will be.
They typically prefer to threaten by phone, repeatedly calling and acting indignant that you are stiffing them, or send a bunch of faxes marked "delinquent", usually avoiding the mail to limit exposure to mail fraud charges. You might get a "collection bill" from the New Jersey collection agency, which is fully involved in the fraudulent scam. They hide behind pretending they "don't know" it's fraud, but they play the same doctored tapes.
Call the FBI, call your state AG, call FTC, call the US Postal Inspector.
They can confirm that this is a scam, and actually a really well known one.
You can find warnings of FTC's site, BBB has warnings, and some AGs have warnings, too.
FTC in particular has been collecting a thick complaint file on this one, along with complaints against their collection agency. FTC's number: 877-382-4357
This new one follows on the heels of FTC's lawsuit and federal court injunction obtained against Thomson Publishing, Regional Yellow Pages Online, and various other aliases. Not sure if they are the same people, but the MO's the same, the NJ collection agency's the same, the Canadian connection with Indian or Pakistani call center is similar, and the new one started up shortly after FTC got their permanent injunction against the old one.
If it will keep your employer happy, pay a few bucks for an attorney to explain the basis of contracts, offer, acceptance, consideration, and all that, and maybe some UCC, and then what fraud is, maybe write you a letter to that effect offering an "opinion". It's a better investment than paying crooks, who will keep coming back for more.
(Maybe the BBB report of doctored recordings will satisfy your boss.)
Note, they are NOT in NYC. That's just an answering service and mail drop at a "virtual office".
http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/business-rev ... -york-ny-131701
"...
Public Yellow Pages
405 Lexington Ave. 26th Floor, New York, NY 10174
http://www.publicyellowpages.com/
...
Additional Complaint Information
Consumer complaints to the Bureau allege that Public Yellow Pages bills customers on services the customers did not authorize. Consumers state that Public Yellow Pages calls businesses and individuals asking them to verify information regarding their “free” business listing. Consumers say they do not authorize Public Yellow Pages to public a listing for their businesses. Consumers say they are then asked to answer a series of “Yes” or “No” questions, while the conversation is recorded. Consumers say they are billed for a Public Yellow Pages business listing. Complaints also allege that a Public Yellow Pages representative re-plays a recording of the individual agreeing to the listing, and saying “yes,” but the complaints state that the consumer answered “yes” to a different question than the one that was played back to the consumer.
..."
FTC fraud warning:
http://business.ftc.gov/documents/alt024-thro ... directory-scams
FTC "Operation Mirage" lawsuits:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/06/optmirage.shtm
More of the same, back in 2004:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/07/pinacle.shtm
It's a continual game of "wack-a-mole".
Also got a faxed invoice with our supposed bill. We did not do business with them. They called in the spring and made me record answers to questions. when I hesitated and said I didn't understand something the guy made me start all over again with the recording.
There is no "contract".
They are liars.
Since there is no "contract", no "interest" is accruing, because YOU DIDN'T AGREE TO PAY THEM.
If you can claw back any money through a bank fraud dispute, do so immediately, but that's about the only way you are likely to recover it.
File fraud complaints with FTC.
When reporting this, the BBB stated that this company is out of Canada. I'm still looking for a Canadian address to report it to http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca as they will not accept my report with an U.S. address. My next step is they AG.
Thank you for the advice to call the FTC and AG. That is my next step, as well (as I wait their collection department to call me back.)
Same "confirm your information" (which is where they try to get you to say "yes" for their recording).
I started to push back. "Sheryl" said we'd signed up for it two years ago with a two-for-one special.
If we closed the account they would just send us the bill for the $599 we "owe" them.
No, no, no. was my reply.
We'll send it to "collection office" or "corporate office" was the next threat.
I explained that we did not authorize this nor would we pay it.
I turned the conversation to question:
what is the address of your corporate office.
What is your company name?
What is your name (personal)?
What is the phone number I can call?
"Please hold" was the response.
Back on the line: "I just spoke to my supervisor who said that you are a church and shouldn't be on the listing in the first place."
She ended the conversation quickly still stating that we would receive the official paperwork to close the account.
(Throughout the conversation, try to avoid using the word "yes!")
BEWARE!