‘Yellow Pages’ scam uncovered - Trading Standards warn schools against fraudsters

SCHOOLS are being warned to be on the lookout for fraudsters posing as employees of the Yellow Pages after a series of scams in the borough.
Trading standards officers from the council seized cheques totalling almost £10,000 sent from schools to a non-existent company calling itself The Yellow Pages 24.
The fraudsters trick unsuspecting schools into parting with £499 or £599 to place adverts that never appear.
Money appears to go into a German bank account, although the bogus company has had some cheques sent to an address in Oxford Street.
Sue Jones, trading standards service manager at Westminster City Council, said: “The money we’ve tracked down could just be the tip of the iceberg.
“The fraud is simple, yet has proved highly profitable for those behind it who appear to have been consistently targeting schools, colleges and businesses across the country.”
Yell Ltd, the publisher of Yellow Pages said it was considering taking legal
action.
A spokesman said: “We take our responsibilities for consumer protection very seriously and as a responsible company are committed to supporting and protecting the users of our products and services and our advertisers.
“We don’t hesitate to take legal action if necessary to protect our brand and safeguard our registered trademark.”
JAMIE WELHAM