Better Business Bureau warns of fraudulent faxes

Kathy Nenninger knew something wasn't right when she got an invoice for advertising her employer never ordered, demanding the Advance, Missouri, business pay the bill immediately or risk being turned over to a collection agency.

"It's like, 'Huh?'" Nenninger said, laughing.

Nenninger is administrative assistant for Bits of Heaven In-Home Service -- one of several Missouri businesses that received fraudulent faxes recently from American Yellow Group, aka Yellow Pages Inc. or American Yellow Distribution Inc.

The faxes -- which bear a variant of the familiar walking-fingers logo associated with the yellow pages -- claim the recipients owe money for Facebook and Twitter advertising; have been referred to debt collectors; and must send $496.95 to a post-office box in Bulgaria to keep the unpaid bill from damaging their credit scores, the Better Business Bureau reported Wednesday.

Nenninger, who as administrative assistant pays all the bills for Bits of Heaven, said her reaction to the bogus bill was, "'Hey, somebody's trying to pull the wool!'

"I know what I pay, and I know that we're not delinquent on it, so that helped," she said.

Because many businesses have listings in the yellow pages, American Yellow Group's name and logo could confuse a less-alert recipient, said Joey Keys, regional manager for the Better Business Bureau.

"The names are so similar, it's hard to distinguish," he said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

Nenninger said the logo on the fax is similar but not identical to those on the local telephone directories she keeps in the office.

She suggested businesses keep copies of all local directories and compare the names and logos to ensure companies exist before sending payments or agreeing to advertise with them.

Keys and Nenninger also advised businesses to keep good records of the advertising and other products and services they have ordered and make sure the employees responsible for paying bills have access to those records so they aren't fooled by false claims.

"Any time you receive a solicitation over a fax, asking for money, you definitely want to do your homework before you make any payments," Keys said. "... As a business, you want to have accounting practices in place to make sure it's an actual bill that you're responsible for before paying anything like this."

In the case of American Yellow Group, the overseas address and threatening tone of the faxes are red flags, he said.

"If you have no prior relationship with this business, it shouldn't be threatening your credit score," Keys said.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Advance, MO