A sucker is literally born every minute – the latest a$$hole to waddle past me takes the form of a spammer offering an advance fee/directory scam. The whole story starts out with them sending an email similar to the one below:
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
In order to have your company inserted in the registry of World Businesses
for 2009/2010 edition, please print, complete and submit the enclosed form (PDF file)
to the following address:WORLD BUSINESS GUIDE
P.O. Box 2021
3500 GA Utrecht
The Netherlandsemail: register@worldbusinessguidenow.biz
FAX: +31 20 524 8107Updating is free of charge!
If you are not the intended recipient, please submit an email to
unsubscribe@worldbusinessguidenow.biz
Your request shall be dealt with accordingly.
The attached form points out its “freeness” multiple times, but contradicts itself in the fine print at the very bottom. While this alone IMHO disqualifies them under Austrian law (misleading contracts are prohibited), the legalities of spamming potential customers IMHO doesn’t need to be discussed under the latest Austrian ECG act.
Their actual web site is pictured below: please do note that the date there is still displayed as the 24th of November:
P.S. I have googled the web looking for other “victims” of the World Business Guide scam, and found none who were actually prosecuted: it looks like the best thing is to formally dispute their charges and ignore both them and their (nonexistent) debt collection agency…
P.S.2. Thanks to Peter Burgstaller’s Lawfirm Linz and the FH Hagenberg, I am well aware that their action is not legal (thanks, Peter, for the great course). I have thus decided to go Ed Fagan on them – here is my response:
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
thank you so much for your letter, which constitutes punishable spam under Austrian legal code (§107 TKG)! I have passed this on to my attorney and will seek legal action against your company.However, I am willing to settle with your company for the payment of the costs I incurred in processing your email, which make up for a total of 35 Euros, which constitutes half an hour of work! I am more than willing to provide you with an invoice and a contract freeing you of all further claims from me if you so desire!
All the best from Vienna
Mos. Tam HannaP.S. I have taken the liberty to publish this to my well-read web site network:
….
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I just found my last ‘formal’ reply to them:
Please understand that sending a threatening letter will get you nowhere. This is Spain, not UK and things are done differently here. Are you seriously telling me that you have inserted Alesur into a directory based on a form which we did not ask for, signed by a person who is not authorised to make purchases and entirely on good faith that an invoice would be paid for on receipt of an ‘unpaid notice’? Are you also telling me that you insert company details into a directory without actually receiving payment for the insertion? That would be far too naïve to be believable and it all seems rather dubious to me and more like a back garden operation trying on an elaborate confidence trick, which of course, I do not accuse you of…
Just in case you are indeed a legitimate company, I will say the following for what it is worth. Your company uses the same form for an insertion at a cost of 995 Euros (as per the small print which I believe is illegal in the UK) as it does for an update of information which is free. This must be very confusing for you as it is open to misinterpretation. I am “confirming” to you that we were filling in the form for a “free update” and “not for an insertion”, if you have “chosen to interpret” this as an insertion, it is “not our problem”.
Also, if sending us the form was part of a mailing campaign which we did not voluntarily ask to be a part of, you are in breach of Spanish law. Furthermore, under the LOPD 15/1999 13 DEC, we would be in our right to pursue a legal case against your company for illicit use of our details.
I hope this clarifies the situation for you although I understand that there will now be a long string of threatening correspondence but please understand that we will not be bullied or harassed into making a payment. If you were more aware of who owns this company, you might think twice about it too. I will have no more to say in this matter but I do invite you to try your luck with our GM. If you put a persuasive enough case to him in person, he may be willing to pay you out of the cash box.
Best regards…
She replied with some bull saying that she did not operate from the UK nor from Spain and therefore did not have to abide by our laws! Quite obvious to me at this point that they were indeed scammers so I guessed that all I should do was ignore them. After receiving the fax from the debt collection company, I thought I would check them out and have found this site.
Best,
Jason
Hi,
as I already said: I dont think there is much to gain from threatening them. If they come to you and it is legal in your state, main em.
But don’t do anything illegal…they simply arent worth it! Think of the letters as free scratch paper for drafts – I seriously think about subscribing a few hundred times to them for the free paper
Tam
I wrote before that EU directives expressly forbids this type of ‘contract’ – we were receiving letters from this company every couple of weeks last year. I then sent a recorded delivery with an official notice of intent to prosecute for harassment with a full bundle of previous documentation to Waldberg & Hirsch. Strangely the letters have stopped. If you are interested, you can actually have a look at their offices on google maps(street level) – it’s a PO box in a photocopying agency – how sad! – It’s quite funny that they are trying to scam people without actually getting the money first – I would advise them to fix their scam plan – it may cost them more than they are earning!
Hi Mark,
as already said – my intent goes the other way round – I see them as a free paper supply.
They will soon find thousands of limiteds in their database – youaremonkeys, youarejerks and so on in 50 languages and /me will have an unlimited supply of free scratch paper.
Hell gee – if we all would do that, they would be bankrupt in a moment.
All the best
Tam Hanna
Hi all,
We received the following. It would appear to be a new version of what is highlighted in this blog. I just thought i would share it with you all.
From: info@registration2011.com [mailto:info@registration2011.com]
Sent: 02 March 2010 21:00
To: info@registration2011.com
Subject: Registration of the World Business Directory 2010/2011
Dear Madam/Sir,
In order to have your company registered in the World Business Directory for 2010/2011, please print, complete and return the enclosed form (PDF file) to the following address:
World Business Directory
Suite 149 – Rosden House – 372 Old Street EC1V 9AU / London – United Kingdom
E-mail: office@registration2011.com
Fax: +44 207 806 8157
Updating is free of charge!
To unsubscribe, please send an email to
unsubscribe@registration2011.com
hallelujiah!!!!!
I too trusted that this scammer was a free listing until I received a bill for an exhorbitant ammount of money. Although these unsrupulous people keep sending me reminder notices and adding extra for delayed payment I have no intention of giving them a cent.
All I have sent them is a couple of emails warning them of the dire consequences of illicit scamming in Australia. I was hoping they would take me to court to bring their devious operation out into the light. I am so relieved and happy to see these comments, well done, thank goodness for clear minded , brave people,
Lee
Me again,
Another good idea is to actually check their directory to see if you are listed, because I can’t find my business on it anywhere, even though they are so foolishly trying to get money out of me.
Just ignore them and let them waste their time and money on sending bogus paperwork.
To anyone who is worried, another thing to be aware of is that the signature is to be that of a legal or authorized person, so if you are not the director or such , don’t worry,in fact do not worry at all, be happy that these sorts of practises are coming out in the light and will die of atrition,
Lee
Lee
As per the Advertising Standards Authority 8th March 2010:
Autocontrol and Cross Border complaints executives have been informed about the continued complaints over the “ambiguous and misleading” forms sent out by International Business Guide or World Business Guide. The forms BREECH clause 14 of the Autocontrol code (in Spain) and World Business Guide were ORDERED to cease distribution. Bascially their stupid form is NULL and VOID and if you recieve any correspondance from World Business Guide, send it back to them and tell them that they have been reported for unlawful busines practices. – Or just ignore them because they are just a scam anyway and can NEVER take you to court or demand your money!
Hi all,
This is Ken from CHINA. We have been disturbed by World Business Directory for long time. And I hope they can give up themselves as soon as possible. But I will never pay them the money. The so-called MS. MARIA called today and I told them the same. Do not even think about getting the money from us. Thank you for all the friends in the blog. The reason why I am so firm and stuff is because all the friends here.
Best wishes to you all,
KEN
I had to add my comments to this article it is such a shame that companies like Business World Directory can do business in this way. It gives companies like myself a bad name in the industry. I our team work very hard to offer quality business listings in our directory. I have also come across another company who charge huge amounts of money to be listed in their online directory.
Here is a free tip for all potential businesses who want to list on a online directory do your home work look at what page rank they have also look at what type of companies are listed within the directory also go to Alexa and get more detailed information before you part with your cash. Another question you should be asking yourself what am I going to get for my money and what are they going to do to help me gain more quality traffic.
So my final thoughts on this be careful if it sounds too good then it will not be click away.
Business1Directory.com
Different Approach to Advertising Your Business
Hi,
BTW – we aren’t endorsing any of the companies here…
All the best
Tam Hanna
Hi,
me happend the same thing,I signed the letter saing “upgrading free of charge”
because i afterwards got the bill to pay Euro 995,= I e mail them and agreed that i ould pay this one time and they would put me out their system.
In july i got a new bill, now I asked for a letter that i would not be chraged for the 3th period ,wich they send me.
Then i asked for reference companies who worked with them, they could not give me…
The keep sendig me e mails ,faxes ,an a girl names Lisa keeps calling me.
Hi,
as already said, I am not an attorney. However, they don’t seem to go to court – so why not enjoy the love and caring?
All the best
Tam Hanna
Just go the same letter, from reading this I’m just going to ignore it.
Hi
After being left alone for a few month, i received a letter from their collection firm again with 2nd year subs, legal fees as well. I totally refuse to pay this as i see no point in paying scammers.
Freda SA
Nel 2008 siamo “caduti” nella truffa mediatica della WBG la quale accalappiandoci con la solita mail, alla quale ho risposto, ci ha inviato una fattura di € 995,00 con obbligo per tre anni. Contestata immediatamente la fattura, la loro sedicente Miss Clarissa ha iniziato una persecuzione telefonica, fax e mail che ci ha costretti ad esporre denuncia formale per il reato di stolking. Di concerto abbiamo inviato l’intera pratica sia al nostro legale che alla polizia postale: il ns. legale ci ha detto di cestinare il tutto, visto che il contratto è una vera truffa basata su un’organizzazione con sede nelle Isole Vergini Britanniche prive di correttezza commerciale; la polizia postale ha oscurato il sito, come da noi richiesto!! Ha iniziato a farsi avanti uno studio legale di AMsterdam per il recupero del credito, credito che ogni 15 gg apumentava di € 300,00, viva l’susra e l’estrosione!! Allo studio legale abbiamo ventilato la possibilità di denunciarli per associazione a delinquere a scopo di truffa ed estrosione: incredibile, sono spariti per quasi un anno. Ieri, invece, probabilmente per “addrizzare” i conti di fine anno ci ha scritto nuovamente lo studio legale di Amsterdam ed oggi abbiamo ricevuto una busta da World Business Guide: ci siamo limitati a rispedire al mittente i plichi postali senza neppure aprili. Chiaramente, se dovessere nuovamente iniziare lo stolking produrreno nuova denuncia per reiterazione di reato alla Procura della Repubblica ed alla Polizia Postale. Non pagate nulla. I truffatori mediatici come questi banditi europei vanno fermati ed arrestati.
I also received the email form promoting a free listing in the WBG and carelessly sent the form back only to receive an invoice some months later for 995 euro. I then discovered it was a scam and answered their letter advising them we were not going to pay and to remove all our company information from their data base. The only answer I have received is more demands for money with the threat of legal action. I sent them a further email inviting them to take action if they wish. I get demands from them by email and fax several times a week but just ignore them. Thanks for creating this web site to expose this scam for what it is.
Hi Edward,
it was a pleasure!
All the best
Tam
They have tried this with me also! Last year I signed up for their “FREE UPDATE.” 1 yr later I rcvd an invoice by mail for 995 euro. I live in US and 995 euro is a lot of worthless USD, so I had to check and see how valid this was. First, I have had no business generated from this World Business Guide! I have networked with a few overseas connects, but that was done on my own wit. WBG has done nothing for my business, so I figured I would do nothing and let it die off. Well apparently, they sent a form for me to update my info “FREE” and it just so happend to come with an invoice attached? I wanted to now go see what I can dig up on these people. Thanks for this Blog site. You have confirmed what I believed to be true. No payments will be sent and if they continue I will seek legal action against them.
on another note, how can they afford to mail all of these invoices?
First, thanks for this article (one of many on the web about the WBG). I feel very stupid for having fallen for this scam. I think what makes it so deceiving is that there are so many free directories out there and this one appears to be the same.
I’ve had a couple of exchanges with the guide now. I asked to be removed from the directory after the first invoice, but did not receive a reply until months later. Now they are getting quite aggressive, but I’ve assured them that they will not pay.
These things are obviously not legal in Canada and they won’t have any luck collecting from me.
Hi guys,
We to have been subject to threats of penalties and general nonsene, I have invited them to Dubai where we are based and told them I have a bankers cheque made to cash ready to be collected all they have to do is turn up and collect. Funnily enough they have as yet not turned up but still try and send faxes, e mails, I have also called and made the offer of coming to UAE to collect. I guess WBG must know the penalties in the UAE for such a scam which generally is flogging and lengthy jail sentence.
I can assure you these guys are not loosing sleep over delete the e mail and use the fax if you run out of Toilet roll.
Regards
Derek
You are very lucky to be in a country with sooper strict laws.
Thanks for sharing your views
All the best…!!
Thanks for everyone. We have received the same emails from EU Business Services Ltd., and we are really suffering their blackmail. I have replied many emails to refuse the ridiculous payment, but they just sent emails to us timely. It’s really going to piss me off. By the way, we are a factory in China. I really do not know how to deal with this problem except of just suffering.
I am getting reminders and emails & phone calls (not showing number),they asked for free up dating but are now demanding huge money.I do not know why FREE LISTING is meant to them as paid.Perheps their english is no good.I can beat them with powerful punches if they wish so and that is totally FREE.
Oops!! We too signed an update form. Did not give any attention to the fine print. Now even in South Africa they say I have signed for an order and demand Euro 995. It is the one e-mail and fax after the other and say I am liable for a 3 year registration. My virus protectors Eset and Norton denied me access to their website. Thanks for this blog.
Regards Roy
Dear WBD Victims,
We all are simply confronted with international swindle, which are really illegal, fraudulent and punishable. But we need to confess – it is very nice organized.
In any case – take it easy, do not worry, and have a look here just for information:
http://www.mukaumedia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/SarahLudfordMEP.pdf
Conclusion:
1. Do not arrange any payments.
2. DEFINITELY!!! inform local authorities, especially attended in financial crimes investigation.
Alex,
Vilnius, LITHUANIA
Thank you for this posting. The investigation you’ve done is very helpful!
Yes, me too. I am getting invoices and threats to pay EUR 995, now EUR 1129, then they said they will take legal action and charge 1429. I haven’t responded at all,as of yet. I will read all of your responses above and then email them.
I’m so glad to read all your responses.
Thank you,
Lexy
why this not being stop ?….
any legal action against them ?…
so many victim around the world
How to stop this? They are calling us, faxing us, what to do?
ignore them….
they don’t even worth answering them
Thanks for this blog im really pleased and relieved from panic due to threat of legal action against our companies for non complying obligation to pay them for inserting our name in their guide which we have searched our names several times on their guide book without any trace of it.
This forum really assisted me in knowing that they are scammers and we can never pay a cent which they rope us fraudulently concealing the payment conditions and which we unknowingly sign.
I have already informed one stupid Lisa that continues to call and challenge our refusal to pay them with legal action
Thank God I came acrosss this site, our Company was already gearing into action to challenge their criminal act which is not acceptable in our country. I hope that the thousands that are thrown into panic will be lucky one day to find this blog.