Day Trip Media: I Got Scammed... Again

Monday, 28 April 2008

I Got Scammed... Again

Pwnd!1!! Oh boy, I always thought I was pretty good when it came to looking after security. Always telling folks about phishing, keeping virus protection updated, not answering letters to people wanting to move money, don't get caught out on eBay, fake domain invoices, etcetera. Whilst I may have had my eyes open to online and related fraud, I've not really looked at business related fraud in the past, but today I got myself a good old fashioned wake up call, and I'm preparing myself for an ongoing battle with the scammers.

My security leanings were all well and good for the online world, but back here in running my business world, it seems I've been targeted by some rogue publishers. The scam is this, they phone you up (being a new business) and give you a load of spiel on they're bringing out a charity / police / fire service / wedding planning magazine. Which ever niche they go for, they tell you it's going out to local business and would you like an ad as they don't yet have someone in your sector to go in the mag. So on and so forth. They calls keep coming, and even though you've said no, they try to make out you've agreed to it. Maybe they ring up after a couple of months of making the first call, maybe they tell you someone else in the business said yes, whatever, the patter's designed to bludgeon you into submission.

I'd already fallen for it once, and placed an ad (costing £150) in some local police magazine that was going out to businesses locally. I don't need to advertise like that, but I thought 'what the hell,' a bit of brand recognition won't hurt, there may be other similar businesses out there who see it and maybe want to meet, trade ideas, etcetera. To be honest there was also a bit of vanity involved as well on my part, thinking it nice to see the business in print. So, fed up with the wave of calls I'd gotten I caved and said yes. They sent out the artwork, I paid up. I was none the wiser.

Today I got a call from a company I think are called Millennium Media. I say think, because the accent of the heavy caller is Scouse, and a bit difficult to follow at the speed he talks. He says we spoke a couple of months back and I agreed an ad. Now, I cast my mind back and recall the conversation back in February, and I also recall saying I wasn't interested at the time as I had just taken an ad out in another magazine. At the time I thought nothing of it as I thought I'd stood my ground and said no. After placing the first ad, I said to myself that was something I would never do again.

So this call I get today, the guy (John Anderson and Amberton) is telling me they are ready to send out the artwork for my approval for the ad in the Crime Stoppers magazine. I tell him I'm not interested. He brings up a password I gave him last time we spoke - Spam Tin. I recall making it up on the spot when I spoke to him last as a bit of a piss take. If I can recall correctly, he said if I can contact you again, we'll set up a password. It certainly wasn't in relation to placing an order, but he tries telling me it was. Having none of this, he hangs up telling me he'll call back.

So I'm very wound up at this point and get searching and quickly find out what's going on here. It's not a pretty scene, there are hundred of people out there who've fallen foul of this. There are lots of different outfits trying the scam, one of the most covered is a company called Vardis. Worse, it seems I can expect more to come including threats of legal action for the money for the advert I didn't place, harassment over the phone and more sneaky behaviour. The idea is that people will roll over at the threat of legal action and court appearances, but that's all they are, threats.

From what I've read, the debt collection agency that starts sending out the threatening mail is the same as the company that runs the ads. I can't find an example of anyone having been taken to court as frankly, the company don't have a leg to stand on. That said they try to bully their victims into compliance with jargon and underhand tactics.

One such tactic involves sending you the proofs of the artwork by registered mail, so you have to sign for it. Then they say because you've signed for it you've agreed a contract. I've also read reports of them faking acceptance tapes to try and convince you that you have a legal contract with them, or that it can be used as evidence in court. From what I've read that's nonsense as well, the OFT says a tape like that doesn't prove a contract is in place without the written contract.

Finding all this out has made me realise that the first ad I placed was a mistake. I doubt the magazine has ever seen the light of day. I don't think I can expect to see a copy as I was told.

As for this new attempt on my bank balance, this is my battle plan and what I'm expecting, I've informed the wife to be on alert. Any registered mail that looks like it could be from them will not be signed for. Any further calls will be ignored and finished promptly. Any threats will be ignored, especially written threats about filling court proceedings etc. Any correspondence that should arrive unregistered will be replied to in no uncertain terms about a cancellation. I've started a log of events and will also try and figure out how to record calls should I get another one. Going by what I've read, I should expect another one. If it escalates I will contact the police, OFT and Trading Standards. From what I've read, all three of these bodies are well aware of this sort of shady practice.

I feel a lot better now. I felt really stupid earlier, and angry at my stupidity. The more I recall the phone call I got today, the more I can see that they were fishing for stuff to use against me. But now I've read up on this and learnt what's going on, I'm feeling prepared and ready for them to make the next move. It should be fun if nothing else. Here's some of the stuff I've read up on today that you might find useful if you find yourself here in the same situation.

So why am I bringing this up in public - on my business website of all places? Well, maybe it might save someone else falling for the same rip-off. It's also cathartic, I've spent most of the afternoon angry with myself and also a bit peeved I wasn't awake to what goes on. If I can save someone else those feelings then all the better. And it's not just this advertising scam, I've got a feeling I'll see more of this. I've already had a non-invoice for a branded stationary along with a sample. I'm pretty sure it's all coming from the same scummy underbelly of business praying on business. Sigh, I can tell you now, I won't fall for it again.

Posted by Dio Bach at 20:08

29 Comments:

gadget said...: Good for you for bringing this to everyone's attention. Thanks.; 29 April 2008 21:17
Media Man said...: I got caught up in this as per your article. Millenium Media, Police, Send in the bailiff's etc. At the moment (27/06/08) I've been told I agreed to the ad @ £500+!!! in Crimestopper's Magazine and as I haven't paid I camn expect the bailiffs. I then decided to google 'scam - millenium media' and got this link. Many thanks for confirming what I thought and to anyone reading this - Don't fall for the sales patter or threats!

Thanks again

Geoff Pearson; 27 June 2008 10:15
Dio Bach said...: I've not heard back from them since or received any mail. Another company rang me up and tried it on but I ran them through the scam and told them not to waste either of our times. That seemed to shut them up.; 27 June 2008 10:25
Casey said...: I think I have been scammed by this lot too. I have kept enquiring about the crime prevention thing and its always about to be printed. I also got caught about a fire prevention one. I did get an ad published in a local police mag but that was by a different outfit. I do feel a bit stupid, but if there's no joy, I did have the presence of mind to pay by credit card, so I can at least have a chance of claiming it back!; 09 September 2008 17:27
Dio Bach said...: Hi Casey, I know how you feel. So far I've not heard back from them. I did have another company come to me and try to tell me I'd ordered an advert that would help underprivileged children. I calmly explained to the guy on the phone that I was onto their scam and bid them good day.

Then, a couple of weeks ago I had an invoice in the post from an NW Media (they're so professional, their logo is in Comic Sans...) This invoice claimed I owed them £125 for an advert in an emergency services magazine. Nonsense again. I looked around and apparently some of these scammers will just send out the invoices and hope you pay them. They don't even go for the phone stage, needles to say I've ignored that too.; 09 September 2008 18:00
Casey said...: Yes I got one from NW Media. Just sent them a letter asking for written proof of the original order as this was a supposed "Reminder" invoice! Heard nothing since.

Also watch out for an outfit called Ikonic Publications that say you have agreed to sponsor some safety books for local schools. In this case I have advised them that I am taking advantage of the distance selling regs that allow me a cooling off period. Watch this space. I think that once they get the impression that you are an easy touch (or stupid like me) then your details get all over the place.; 10 September 2008 09:52
Ian T said...: I am in the process of setting myself up as a sole trader. Ive set up a nice little web-site, got my logo sorted, ordered graphics for my van, have all my stationary and business cards and submited my info to various free listings sites on line, with a view to getting regular adverts in my local paper and yell.com. Anyhow, last Saturday I was designing an advert for my local paper and I got a call(0151 227 9584).. A very professional, convincing woman saying they a company called Vardis and are producing mags that will be distributed throughout the northwest, homes, dentist waiting rooms, doctors surgeries etc, and it help a charity- forristers fund for children.
They said I could have a full colour 1/4 page advert 4x per year for just £295.00- I thouhgt it was a great idea and said I would be interested and gave her all my details....
Next thing I knew the phone rang again, this time(01695 557 9625)some woman who seemed a bit dim, all part of the scam I think.. She claimed she was ringing to confirm my details in connection with my 'order' and mentioned about the call being recorded- I thought nothing of it, a bit surprised with the speed of the call and that started alarm bells ringing. Tuesday cam and so did a 'conformation of order' form. With this was a slip for my payment and a discount if I sent it in within 14 days. I started to read the terms and conditions on the back, and somthing didnt feel right... I quickly emailed them explaining I will not acknowledge receipt of my order as I had not made an order and wanted to know more details before I commited to anything such as distribution numbers, number of pages in the mag, content of the mag etc.
No reply, so I emailed again.. No reply. Then I got home to find 4 missed calls and a message to call Vardis back, I forget the name of the guy. Anyway I rang the number but he was on his lunch and would call me back. Since then Ive had a number of messages on my phone that 'break up' at various times, then clearly hear the request to call back urgently.
Since them I googled the name Vardis and I felt sick! Looking at the many scams and people they have had. I couldnt believe it, Im usually the first to spot a scam! I await the bill, following demands and threats of legal action as I have no intention of following this through.. From what I have read they need to send you a copy of the recording of the apparent 'order' and then it would goto court where it would be thrown out anyway. Vardis are well known, im just gutted i got sucked in! My 1st lesson in going it alone- WATCH OUT!; 18 September 2008 22:51
casey said...: I have just instructed my credit card company to cancel my payments to Millenium media as they have just kept on fobbing me off with excuses. e.g "Oh you should have had a copy by now!" or "its just being printed." I will see if that does something, and I have instructed the Card Co to not reauthorise unless I give them written permission. I don't know if I can do that, but lets see.; 03 October 2008 15:09
Anonymous said...: My partner has his own small business and Ikonic baffled him over the phone(over many months) and they have just sent the so called 'educations booklet'with a £149.00 invoice. I have just spoke with them, told them to send me the recordings of the order over the phone (which there wasn't) and told them they are all over the internet as a scam company. I feel so good, they even asked for the booklet to be posted back to them...what, so they can send it to someone else. I suppose 'Stick it where the sun doesn't shine' is the polite way of saying things but hey I couldn't think of that at the time!!!; 20 October 2008 15:51
Nick Harber said...: Ikonic tried to pull one on my company this month - they even had the neck to "playback" a so-called recording of my boss agreeing to terms for advertising in a safety at schools booklet. It was so badly pasted together with what was patently not the voice of the person they referred to it was laughable. Fortunately, we're all a pretty robust lot here but it makes my blood boil to think of the amount of people who have rolled over to this scum for fear of prosecution.; 28 October 2008 18:22
Anonymous said...: Hi Nick Harber,
Ikonic are still contacting us. I have asked for them to post the 'so called' recordings but nothing in thepost yet. This morning I have asked for them to playback the recordings over the phone but they said they have to call back from another phone, no call as yet. I was just wondering if you have had anything more from them?; 05 November 2008 10:12
Anonymous said...: me too there are loads and we have been stung for ltteraly thousands before we twigged

i have founs a company called the advertising protection agency who say they can help get rid and even get some of you money back.

i'm a bit on the wary side since being done so far so i am waiting for TS to come back to me befor i go with them.

has anyone else heard of or used them it would be good to get and independant view.

i did find a couple of people whi i rang and they say they have use them and are over the moon with the service; 07 November 2008 15:27
Casey said...: I am now getting calls from an organisation that asks me if their removal of my details from a "charity database" is working. Apparently I have some agreement with them to do that! What with this and more calls from website optimisation people who claim that I have agreed with them to do something, I find the best way is to just say that you don't know anything about any of it and keep saying that till they hang up. No more from Ikonic, but maybe its them in another guise?; 11 November 2008 12:27
Anonymous said...: My wife has also been caught up in the infamous Ikonic Publications scam. The usual educational books scam etc....they have even sent us a crackly recording of the so called 'agreement to purchase'. as you would expect there is no agreement to purchase, no books, no discussion about what an dvert may look like, what school they would be sent to etc.. They have just threatened to take us to court which we are completely ignoring. Apparently the OFT say that some companies actualy send out fake summons notices, so we'll be on the look out.

AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE....HANG UP...IGNORE ANY THREATS TO PAY IF YOU GET SUCKED IN.

AUTHORITIES - PLEASE SHUT DOWN THESE COMPANIES.

FELLOW CONSUMERS - ANYONE INTERESTED IN CLASS ACTION?; 11 November 2008 15:24
Dio Bach said...: Just got a new one, this time the company is called Advanced Publications, and they're on about doing a South Wales Police Initiative. I told them where to go. :D; 12 November 2008 11:28
kb said...: Hi Folks,

I too seem to have become a victim of the infamous IKONIC PUBLICATIONS. Sending me CD recording of some bogus agreement that I had made. Then they phoned me and when i told them that i was going to record them they hung up. Now they have written to me threatening to sue me.

stand firm on this SCAM or join me to fight them

KB; 19 November 2008 12:50
Bandit said...: I have also had the call from iconic, been in business a good few years now and realize a scam within a few seconds of them talking, what I tend to do if in the right mood is give them a load of lies about who I am and what I want, place massive orders, then get all the info sent to some made up address, seems a bit childish I know but they annoy people by calling with there junk so I just get my own back.

I did however give iconic an address where I can pick up the mail (just to have a bit of fun), I have had a few payment demands now, the last one was threatening court action, I?m looking forward to seeing what they do, I'm thinking of sending them a turd through the post with a covering letter saying this is what I think of your company, this too is childish but picture the look on the persons face that opens it.

My advice is GIVE THEM NOTHING, do what you can to waste there time and money and hopefully they will soon go out of business. If you?re not warped and twisted like me you could simply say no and hang up but where the fun in that.; 19 November 2008 22:16
Dawnie said...: i Love the turd idea - there are so many of these dodgy companies

i love the class action idea - you never know

im still unsure about the advertising protection agency but i'm thinking if many of us gang up on these companies we can stop them

also if everyone contacts watch dog maybe they will do a feature on it and highlight this scam

the reason these are getting away with it is that too many people dont find out about the scam till its too late they have already been sucked in; 20 November 2008 13:26
Anonymous said...: Another name on the scene is Waterhouse Publishing. Also based in Liverpool, but at a different address from Millenium, called me claiming to be from my local police service, and thanked me for "continuing to support the journal, which the officers were still using". Didn't ring any bells, but a few days later got an invoice for the better part of £200 allegedly for an Emergency Services Journal. Called the local police and they have never heard of this journal. Will be writing back to tell Waterhouse this and refusing to pay. Was a bit suspicious as the firm's email address is a generic one that you'd get from your Internet service provider!; 13 December 2008 09:09
Anonymous said...: Every advertising company that has been mentioned regarding these issues are listed at www.advertisingprotectionagency.org
This organisation prevents calls being made to businesses that do not wish to receive these types of sales calls.
This website is extremely interesting and informative.

Paul Baxter; 09 January 2009 13:19
Dio Bach said...: Hi Paul,

Thanks for that link, excellent site and resource.; 09 January 2009 13:58
Anonymous said...: Are TAPA straight up or are they part of the problem themselves? Somebody on Blagger thinks they might just be a clever variant on the original scam. What is people's experience?; 13 February 2009 22:59
Anonymous said...: i'm getting hassled by ikonic publications who called me using the name "child protection awareness"and claimed i had agreed to sponsor books for schools. i contacted the principal of my local school and he said he had never heard of them, i then contacted trading standards, they said its clearly a scam, pay them nothing no matter what they threaten. im now getting threatening letters from them saying they will take me to court and it will affect me getting a bank loan or overdraft. im keeping copies of all these letters to send to trading standards; 18 February 2009 00:30
zgirl said...: Advanced Publications have been hassling me - could really do without it as I'm 8.5 months pregnant!
Will tell them I'm on to them after reading all this - dodgy Scousers! Trying to rip off a soft Southerner! Not anymore!; 25 February 2009 16:49
Anonymous said...: Hi, We have really, really suffered as a result of this. A particular person in our business was none the wiser and was getting really confused with all the different campaigns and callers. This has had a very, very serious detrimental effect on the business.

All of the above tactics were used including supposed recorded calls, legal action, red letters, etc etc.

The other thing to be aware of is the "Database Removal Services". This is just another way if getting money off you. They also ask for publications for no other reason than to contact the businesses in there for adverts.

We have now written off the problem as a lesson learned so please, please make sure you know who you are advertising with, and make sure you have evidence of the circulation; 26 February 2009 16:44
Anonymous said...: I too have had dealings with Millenium Publications & Porter Publications Ltd both of Liverpool. Today I received a call from a company called Consumer Credit Solutions saying that a court summons has been issued against me from Crime Prevention Advice & Information Ltd for non-payment. This company can't even be found in the web. When I asked the caller his name he hesitated and then told me he was called Neil Risby (probably not his real name and number was witheld). This site has been so helpful to me. Just waiting to see what happens now.; 07 March 2009 15:29
Anonymous said...: Hi,

if a court summons has actually been issued against you, a copy would have been sent to you from the court concerned. Most of these "small claims" can be done on line and will come from the Court in Northampton. In any case they have to issue with a written summons and give you a chance to reply/explain within a set period.If someone is telling you that a summons has been issued, I'd hang on to see if anything arrives in the post. If not, tell them to go and..... well you know!; 08 March 2009 17:18
martin said...: Hi, Ican't beleive this company or is that being respectful.
I have also recently been scammed by mellenium media, and as you rightly put it getting involved in chit chat and using a certain part of the conversation as a password, telling you they have taped conversations, telling you that the company will pass it on to their debt revovery agency, well after reading the horror stories bring it on.
i can't wait until they contact me next although the last time the conversation he left with a flee in his ear the next time he or they will meet there match.; 22 April 2009 17:17
John in Chester said...: We have been "had" the same way by a company called ESM Community Media in Liverpool. They spoke to a Jnr member of my staff and took that as "a contract to proceed with the advert" in a bogus magazine. So far the Trading Standards have told me that the verbal conversation with 1 of my staff that they have a recording of WILL stand up in court !! - I to am suspicious of this "Advertising Protection Agency" - They told me if I signed up with them (£5.79 per month), they would take care of ESM for us and we would not have to worry about their threats from then on ?? - are they part of the same scam type, does anyone have any experience of them ?? - Is there not some "real" body that can fight on our behalf regarding this type of scam ?? - The FSB were not much help :( - Watching this thread with great interest... John in Chester; 30 April 2009 15:49