I got an email this morning not unlike many emails I receive over the course of a year. I’ve been in marketing a long time and sign countless insertion orders, but I have also come to recognize a scam when I see it.
There was a time, though, that I didn’t see these coming.
The email seemed harmless enough…
… except that it was from the Netherlands… and I don’t do business there.
And then the attachment was a fairly standard-looking insertion order for a listing:
(You can click here for the larger version)
Notice it says “(UPDATING IS FREE OF CHARGE)” right at the top in bold, black lettering. That’s all you really see when you first look at this form.
So the unsuspecting person who assumes they’re getting a free listing for their company fills out the form, signs the bottom, sends it back and gets a bill in the mail for €995 for each of the next 3 years.
Why?
Right after that “updating is free of charge” line it also says “Only sign if you want to place an insertion”. So, um… why would anyone update their info if they didn’t want to place an insertion. Updating is free but the insertion is not. Hence the scam.
ORDER
THE SIGNING OF THIS DOCUMENT REPRESENTS THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS AND THE CONDITIONS STATED IN “THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR INSERTION” ON WEBPAGE: WWW.WORLD-BUSINESSGUIDE.COM. THE SIGNING IS LEGALLY BINDING AND GIVES YOU THE RIGHT OF AN INSERTION IN THE ONLINE DATA BASE OF THE WORLD BUSINESS GUIDE, WHICH CAN BE ACCESSED VIA THE INTERNET. A CD ROM WITH WORLDWIDE BUSINESSES IS GRANTED, ALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONTRACT CONDITIONS STATED IN “THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR INSERTION” ON WEBPAGE: WWW.WORLDBUSINESSGUIDE.COM. THE VALIDATION TIME OF THE CONTRACT IS THREE YEARS AND STARTS ON THE EIGHTH DAY AFTER SIGNING THE CONTRACT. THE INSERTION IS GRANTED AFTER SIGNING AND RECEIVING THIS DOCUMENT BY THE SERVICE PROVIDER. I HEREBY ORDER A SUBSCRIPTION WITH SERVICE PROVIDER INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORIES LTD “WORLD BUSINESS GUIDE”. I WILL HAVE AN INSERTION INTO ITS DATA BASE FOR THREE YEARS. THE PRICE PER YEAR IS EURO 995. THE SUBSCRIPTION WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY EXTENDED EVERY YEAR FOR ANOTHER YEAR, UNLESS SPECIFIC WRITTEN NOTICE IS RECEIVED BY THE SERVICE PROVIDER OR THE SUBSCRIBER TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE EXPIRATION OF THE SUBSCRIPTION. YOUR DATA WILL BE RECORDED. THE PLACE OF JURISDICTION IN ANY DISPUTE ARISING IS THE SERVICE PROVIDER’S ADDRESS. THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE SERVICE PROVIDER AND THE SUBSCRIBER IS GOVERNED BY THE CONDITIONS STATED IN “THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR INSERTION” ON WEBPAGE: WWW.WORLD-BUSINESSGUIDE.COM
Don’t get scammed. Read the fine print. These kinds of jerks make marketers look bad.
I fell for this scam almost ten years ago, before almost anything was online. My form came through the post to the small business I was then running. Offering publication in a World business directory. So easy to think it is a genuine offer. They hounded me for two years for payment with threats from debt collectors. This is the same company, despite national coverage and a ‘Watchdog’ investigation, it is amazing to think they are still in operation and it’s owners not in jail. The online thing gives them greater distribution to unsuspecting prey. Real scum, one can only hope for divine retribution as the law is obviously impotent when it comes to this type of criminality.
Thanks for sharing your experience Doc. I remember when these would come in via mail… seemed so official. I’ve also seen random invoices sent to Accounts Payable departments in hopes that those people are not doing their homework… it’s sad, really, how many people are out to take advantage of others.
Hi, I’ve just fallen for this scam and am not sure if I should just “weather the storm” and ignore their demands? They tricked me by sending an email about registering at the same time that I had joined a reputable coaching organisation and I stupidly thought it was part of that. Any advice would be much appreciated!
Thanks
Doctor M
We also got caught in this when it was signed by a volunteer in our organization. Do they have any legal claim if we just ignore them and their attempts to collect? I’d love to hear if anyone has ever been forced to pay in the end after signing one of these.