I was recently called about this scam and thought everyone should be aware of it. The “Yellow Pages” scam is by far one of the most persistent around and continues to plague small business owners. This scam operates in several variations. However, the most common form goes as follows:

Someone calls you explaining that they need to verify a few pieces of information regarding your “free” business listing in the Yellow Pages for renewal purposes. The conversation seems to be innocent enough and really leaves the impression that they just want to verify your listing. The caller then begins to ask a rapid series of harmless yes or no questions. What you don't know, however, is that the caller has turned on a recording device and is recording all these “Yeses.” Once the caller is done asking the questions, they simply thank you for your time and hang up.

Several days later a bill by fax or mail arrives with an invoice from the Yellow Pages for your “new business listing.” The invoice probably features a Yellow Pages Logo, website, email, and a toll-free number to call for any questions. (The scammers have taken great pains to set themselves up to appear as legitimate as possible.) Sometimes, the scammers will even create a fake website actually listing your company information.

At this point, knowing that you did not order anything, you call the toll-free number to complain. The call is answered by someone who you believe is a "Yellow Pages" representative and you begin to complain about the invoice you received for services or business listing that you did not order. (In another version, the fake “Yellow Pages” company calls you even though you haven't even received a bill). The representative feigns sympathy and brings a "supervisor" online.

The “supervisor” tells you that you or an employee agreed to the listing over the phone and they have the recording to prove it. They will even play you a recording of a generic sales pitch (that you have never heard before). All of the sudden, you hear them ask “do you agree to the renewal listening of $599?” and you hear yourself say “Yes.” Of course, they have manufactured the whole thing, using your voice from the earlier call. They then argue with you that your employee or you verbally agreed and your company is obligated to pay them $599. If you refuse to pay, they will agree to take a “settlement” of a much lower amount, like $150.

If you say that you won't pay anything, the scammers become very unfriendly and threaten to sue or ruin your credit, have you arrested, etc. and inform you that they are turning the matter over to a collection agency. If you still refuse, they will actually have a fake “debt collector” to call and threaten you. However, the debt collector will not tell you what agency he is calling from, or even give you his name.

Bottom line – if you owe a legitimate debt, you are probably well aware of it. If not, a real company or collection agency would be more than happy to give you their information and send you proof of the debt. If you can't get any of this information, HANG UP!

Better yet, don’t fall for this scam to begin with.