Local Business Yellow Pages

Business owners are routinely victimized by "yellow page" scams via phone, email, fax, and snail mail solicitations. Due to increasingly available online resources, it is becoming easier and more cost effective than ever for scam promoters to solicit businesses for alternative yellow page directories. These alternative directories often are not widely distributed, may not be published at all, or the business listing may not be added to an online directory. Businesses are being deceived into paying for what they erroneously believe to be their usual Yellow Pages ad or an online listing and end up with nothing.

The best way to protect your business is to make sure everyone who answers calls at your business is educated on how these types of fraudulent and deceptive transactions work. Designate a person, or team to direct these inquiries and solicitations to. Make a list of the companies your business regularly uses for directory services, office supplies, and other recurring expenses so they are aware of who is authorized to provide these services. Obtain a report on the company soliciting you by checking with www.businessconsumeralliance.org. Contact your local Yellow Page publisher or Yellow Pages Publishers Association to learn if it is associated with the company that is soliciting your business.

If you receive an invoice from an unauthorized company, ensure that your company has a way that your payment department can verify you really ordered the advertisement before they pay for it. Do not pay for services that have not been authorized.