Corbett warns businesses of another scam
Yorkshire and Humber MEP Richard Corbett has warned businesses in Hull of a new scam that could cost them up to £700 a year.
The scam, from a Dutch-based company called Euro Business Guide, encourages businesses to update their details for free but on closer inspection the small print reveals doing this will actually cost 990 euros.
Richard said: “I myself was targeted by email by this company, which uses a familiar scam that relies on businesses simply believing they are correcting their details for a Europe-wide business directory.
“If anyone receives this email they should just delete it. If people have already been misled into signing the form they should refuse to pay and contact their solicitor.”
Richard is well aware of these kind of scams having led the campaign in the European Parliament for years against a similar company, named the European City Guide.
Richard added: “The European Parliament is now compiling a report on these kinds of scams but in the meantime the best way to combat them is to remain vigilant and always check the small print of any form small businesses sign.”
- The form sent to Richard by Euro Business Guide is attached for your reference.
- Directory scams target small businesses by inviting them to have their details listed on a European-wide database, apparently for free. However, if these businesses complete the form sent to them, they will receive a bill of up to £700 for the listing with little or no opportunity to cancel the “order”. The directory company will the use bullying tactics to force the small business to pay their fees.
- The ‘European City Guide' is a scam company that targets small businesses by post, tricking them into adding their business details to a European business directory and then chasing them for fees of £700. Richard has led a long and arduous campaign against these directory scams which has recently seen a European Parliament committee agree to do a report on the problem.
- The email sent to Richard by Euro Business Guide asks the recipient to complete a form with their details to be entered into a business directory. The email says “updating is free” in an attempt to trick people into thinking the service will be free, however, at the bottom of the attached form in the (very) small print is the following phrase: “I HEREBY ORDER A SUBSCRIPTION WITH SERVICE PROVIDER EU BUSINESS SERVICES LTD “EURO BUSINESS GUIDE”. I WILL HAVE AN INSERTION TO ITS DATA BASE FOR THREE YEARS. THE PRICE PER YEAR IS EURO 990.”
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