Yellow Pages scam

I think I fell for the Yellow Pages scam!!  What can I do?  Should I contact my phone service?  I feel really stupid.  =(

Hi JenniferC

Hmm, you don't give many details about the call.   Here's a blurp  from the news forum right here on 800notes.   If it sounds like what happened to you, you may want to contact the FTC and file a complaint.   I


"FTC Sues to Halt "Yellow Pages" Business Directory Scams
4 Jun 2009

The Federal Trade Commission has filed suit to halt the illegal operations of several telemarketing boiler rooms in Montreal, Canada. The agency alleged that the telemarketers bilked thousands of small- and medium-sized U.S. businesses and non-profits, including churches, schools, and charities, out of millions of dollars by deceiving them into paying for listings they never ordered in worthless business directories.

The FTC lawsuits, filed in federal court in Illinois, are part of a joint initiative with Canadian law enforcement authorities called 'Operation Mirage' that is aimed at cracking down on business directory scams. The FTC charged that the three telemarketing operations targeted businesses and other organizations with schemes to mislead them into paying hundreds of dollars each for unwanted business directory listings. The court has issued temporary restraining orders in the three cases.

In their phone calls to businesses and non-profits, the telemarketers often have posed as well-known local 'yellow pages' directories, and have told employees who answer the phone that they are calling to verify addresses and telephone numbers, the FTC's complaints stated. The telemarketers then used the 'verifications' as the basis to claim that these organizations agreed to listings that often cost $400 or more.

The FTC alleged that the companies then sent their victims invoices that again often imply that they are well-known yellow-pages companies. Many businesses and organizations simply paid these invoices. Those that did not were harassed with threatening phone calls and letters. To hide their location, the companies have used mailing addresses around the United States, in Miami; Phoenix; Plattsburgh, New York; Port Barre, Louisiana; Russell, Illinois; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Jersey City, New Jersey, the FTC alleged.

The complaints were filed against Reed Publishing, National Yellow Pages Online LLC, Integration Media Inc., doing business as GoAm Media, and others as well as their operators.

The Commission is seeking permanent injunctions that would force the defendants to give up their ill-gotten gains so that those funds can be used for consumer redress."


Hope you beat the scammers.

I have been the victim of annoying phone calls on my cell phone from Yellow Pages for months and I can't get them to stop!  I just received another one a few minutes ago!!  I am sure they are getting my number off of my craigslist ad, which I post weekly to advertise my business.  They always call from different numbers and sometimes they are only 2 or 3 digit phone numbers.  I will usually answer because I use my phone for business.  But when I see these weird numbers come up on my phone I answer because I want to tell them to stop calling me.  I always tell them I am not interested, take me off your call list and do not call me again or I will report them to the authorities. Is there any action to take?  What can I do to get these calls to stop?  I get one or two of them a week.  They have been calling me for the last 6 months.  Can someone advise me please??

They will never stop calling.  

Put the nuomber in your contacts list and assign it the ring tone "no ring".  It won't stop the calls but it will make them easier to ignore.

These Guys are at it again! Using the company name of Yellowpages USA out of New York State. I was worried at first but after reading numerous complaints I feel much better.I found one persons tactics very fun. Next bill you get take their fax number and keep faxinging them a piece of black construction paper.they will use up all their toner real fastand mayby get caught up in the toner scam!

                  Good Luck Everyone Don't Pay Them A Penny!!!!!!!

Good Idea!

sending them black faxes would work but they are using voip thats why there numbers come up funny so they are prob using fax software not reg fax machines all your gonna end up doing is wasting your own time. thanks to the great cheap VOIP phone services Scams Have been at an all time high.  I have been doing a lot of reading about different scams and they all seem to have the same methods of contact VOIP and funny numbers that can not be looked up.

We get these calls constantly from Super yellowpages, Green Yellowpages, Google, etc...all on different numbers, but what they all have in common is they are calling because we have a "free" listing with them. As soon as I hear them I tell them Do not call again and hang up. Sometimes they have accents but most of the time they dont. We also get faxes asking us to verify and fax back.  Most of the faxes has a small print at the bottom that your "free" listing is actually 89 per month for 2 years.  There's nothing you can do to stop them.  I tried everything from threats to yelling to hanging up. Nothing works. Hope no one has actually paid them.  the best thing to do is hang up and never ever say YES on the line as they record their calls and use it against you as an agreement to pay.

We got these calls rom yellow page network, they said the listing was free even the invoice shows $499.95 for 2 years. I was soooo stupid, I trusted the sales person...
We got charged $499.95! because I said YES on the phone. They tricked me!

Hope no one else paid for them like us...

Don't be surprised when you start getting collecion calls, whether u paid them or not.

We got the same call from theyellowpagenetwork.com also The Yellow Page Network.  They claim that my employee, agreed to the ad.  History, they called back in Feb and asked her a bunch of questions about our address.  She only said yes to verifying address questions.  They took the yes answers and plugged them into a fake recorded acceptance of the ad.  Now they called me yesterday saying I have not paid them money owed for something I never purchased.  They are claiming I'm responsible for my employees actions.  I told them I'm the only one authorized to make expenses at my business and this employee is not authorized.  They laughed at me when I said that.  We have contacted BBB in NYC which is where they are, FTC and Attorney General WA (where we are).  They keep calling, harrasing and threatening me.  I keep telling them I know about their scam and I'm not paying a thing to them.  They just laugh and then try to threaten me again by saying they will destroy my business credit rating and send us to a collection agency.  If they keep calling, I will contact my local police (suggestion by the FTC).  I had the employee call them back to test them....they said they would lower the price. lol!!  that's phase II of the scam.  If you want more info on this check out the following site:  http://spamlaws.com/yellow-pages-scam.html  This scam has been going on for a while.  I'm not going to pay them and I'll continue to spread the word about their terrible practice!

We got a phone call a few days a go asking if your # was 7_ _ _ - 5_ _ _- 3_ _ _. I told them thay had it wrong. Then thay asked me what the # should be so I told them. Then thay asked me what my name was I told them that it was something elses they said what do I do? I told them that I was accounts recevable and the said controler and I said NO I am not !!! I tolded them to call back and hung up on them. Now today May 20, 2011 the boss got a call saying that thay owed them money. She had them fax the info to here. We both looked at it and said we did not athorise this and it is not a singed contract. WE WILL NOT PAY This!!!!  Thank you for the last post it helped me out.

 http://spamlaws.com/yellow-pages-scam.html

To day I got another phone call saing that we had a verbal contract with them and I know that no one in outr office altherised this. We only have 3 people in our office. Since when is a verbal contract leage. We are refusing to pay the bill. I asked for a sind conrtact but the girl told me it was verble. I got upset with them about it . Today May 25,2011. Far as I know that in my state of CA a verbal contract dose not exsist!!! If you have a verbl agreement it needs to be falled up by a written contract. Just a worning to all never varafie your info over the phone!!!! Also I have a name of some one that faxed us a Invoice after asking for the contract. Her name is Jennifer Chang @ Ext.602 and the other # is 866-928-6410.
BE A WARE DO NOT GIVE A ANSER OVER THE PHONE (YES)

I've had the same problem. When they played back the tape to us, I agreed to four ninety nine ninety five which I thought was an invoice number. They never said four hundred and ninety nine dollars and ninety five cents. We haven't paid and after seeing all of these complaint I don't think we're going to.

Don't kill yourself with worry. They had my wife losing sleep until I put an end to it. First write them a letter ( registered mail ) tell them that no money will be forthcoming since they have conducted their business in a fraudulent and deceptive  manner - make sure the letter is cc to the better business bureau in your area. Next launch a complaint with the competition bureau. They will tell you that the worse thing you can do is to pay these insects. Not a single person has been taken to court since they know they will be destroyed in a court of law for conducting business in this fraudulent and deceitful manner. By paying anything you are aiding the continuation of this evil sick scam.