Due to the level of complaints about scams like the European City Guide, the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament has investigated the problem, held hearings with victims, and has today proposed specific legislative action from national governments and the European Commission to close legal loopholes used by these scams.
Richard, spokesman for the Socialist Group in the European Parliament on this issue, said: "Scams like the European City Guide must be stopped. It's rewarding to see the European Parliament responding to complaints from businesses and other victims.
"This a problem that crosses borders and each year thousands of businesses, charities and voluntary groups across Europe are tricked into signing up to what looks like a perfectly innocent business directory. In reality they are tricked into a complex contact and face aggressive demands for money and no chance to cancel the contract."
Richard has campaigned against the scams for some years and has led calls for action at a European level whilst also raising the profile of the problem in Yorkshire and across Europe.
He said: "We must revise the Misleading Advertising Directive and offer more protection to victims."
He added: "While we work to eradicate the problem through law I hope that by raising awareness we can destroy the scams by telling victims not to fill in the forms and to refuse to pay them any money. Should people receive any suspicious forms rip them up."
Richard has a dedicated page and a Youtube video on how to deal with directory scams on his website at www.richardcorbett.org.uk/directoryscams.htm
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Directory scams work by sending unsolicited forms to businesses, charities and voluntary organisations appearing to offer a free listing if they update their details. However, the small print reveals that should you return a form you are in fact signing up to a three-year contract that costs around £800 a year. Victims are never billed until the seven-day cancellation period has long passed. The scams then use aggressive tactics to pressure people into paying
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People should never pay any money or return any forms to the following groups: European City Guide, UK Internet Register, Construct Data Verlag, Novachannel and DAD Deutscher Adressdienst GmbH .
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The Busuttil Report calls on the European Commission to ensure that all countries in the EU are implementing and enforcing the Misleading and Comparative Advertising Directive adequately
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The report also recommends that the Commission considers following the example of Austria which has specifically extended its Unfair Commercial Practices legislation to business directories which use the methods of the ECG.
more information
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- e-mail luke@richardcorbett.org.uk
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