Quill Tips - Marketing and Business Blog

Billing scam (or "When good telemarketers turn bad")

Carol Dorman - Friday, June 05, 2009

WARNING! WARNING! DANGER! DANGER! BIG FAT SCAM ALERT!

Okay, okay, enough with the dramatics. Still, I would like to warn you about a billing scam raising its ugly head again, trying to ensnare unsuspecting small business owners ...

In the past two days I've had calls supposedly from two separate non profit magazines, each letting me know my copy has been posted. One of them asked if I'd like to fix up the account via credit card there and then over the phone. When I brought up that I had no record of agreeing to any kind of sponsorship package they quoted dates from months ago that I supposedly spoke to them. (Mind you, on one of the dates I wasn't even in Sydney) When I asked to see emails that transpired between us as verification, one said she'd email (still waiting) and the other said not to worry about it.

The thing to watch out for though is that they quoted an ad back to me that I did place for another magazine and was legitimate, the account for which I had already paid.

Basically, don't ever just pay something unless you see the proof of your agreement in writing. I know that sounds like a no-brainer but when you're busy or perhaps placing a lot of ads, sometimes things can slip through the cracks.

For some additional info click here

Cheers,
Carol

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