November 1999 Almost a third of all businesses have received bills for Yellow Pages advertising they have never ordered - that's according to a new survey by the Council of Better Business Bureaus and the Yellow Pages Publishers Association. Many of these businesses get scammed. Whether you run a beauty shop or a Fortune 500 company, the directories target all businesses and count on the fact that not all bills are carefully examined.
More phony mailings go undetected during the holidays when offices are at their busiest.
The Better Business Bureau suggests checking every invoice carefully and look up contracts for yellow pages advertising to see when they expire. Check out the directory with your local phone company and be wary of online directories and online directory invoices. The CBBB and the YPPA are urging businesses not to throw out the unscrupulous invoices but help stop the scammers.