Infocom USA ripoff sends false invoice for Business Communication Directory Pilot Mountian North Carolina

After you are initally taken by this scam, and they turn you over to their collection agency, you will get repeated calls. I (with the help of information found here) got the calls to stop, and got a letter indicating a 0$ balance. Here is what I did:

If requested, they will send you a bill, which includes an address to send your payment. I sent them the letter text below (from this site), along with a copy of the Vermont Attorney General's press release of the settlement between Ameri-Source and the state of Vermont.

Here is the text of my letter:

You are hereby notified under provision of public laws 95-109 and 99-361, also known as the Fair Debt Collection Practices act, that your services are no longer needed.

Your organization is to immediately CEASE & DESIST all attempts to collect this debt. I will not recognize any collection agency and will deal only with the original (fraudulent) creditor, Ameri-Source Publications.

Carrie,

I had to call and hear for myself! "Welcome to corporate offices" (corporate offices of what corporation honey?) the recorded voice flatly states. "All of our representatives are busy so please leave your name, telephone number and INVOICE NUMBER (so WE WILL KNOW WHO WE ARE!!!)" As I've said before, you should see the letter I received from "World Wide Source" "Management." (I would not have signed it either). It had several telling spelling mistakes -- including my name! They insisted I had the invoice date wrong and were very much projecting the same attitude they use on the phone. I can't believe they would send such a poor excuse for a communication to the Attorney General of New York's office!

I'm convinced they survive because people don't report them, they eventually DO go away when you get wise to them and they know you won't be shaken down for money. If I were the REAL telephone directories, I would put every lawyer I could find to the task of shutting them down. Problem is they are probably not the biggest fraud operations that the authorities have to deal with. But the fact is they are scamming substantial amounts of money $399.95 at a time, or whatever the price is today. I'm sure the real yellow pages people get some unwanted fallout from this scam.

Vermont DID take action against World Wide Source, and complaining to the Attorney General of the "host" state (where the mail drop is located) is a very effective way of dealing with these scammers. Eventually they get enough complaints to assign it for action, but the process is slow. Report them to the postal authorities for mail fraud (that's what a phony invoice is) and call Phonebusters: 1-888-495-8501 which is a Canadian Law Enforcement hotline for this type of thing. As Carrie will agree with me, the company that is bothering you is probably in Canada (Montreal or in the Maritime Provinces) where many legitimate and useful telephone call centre operations also exist (such as the Sears call centre).

The guy that owns these two companies comes from Montreal, Quebec. This just happens to be the same place that most OR all of the companies that you are refering to, originate. If this doesn't get your attention, both these companies are run from the same building at 76 Division St., Welland Ontario Canada. Even the collectors go back and forth all day collecting for both companies. C

all their phone number 905-735-2052 and ask what company you are calling and the woman at the front desk will say "It depends what your invoice number is."

In the sales department we were instructed to mislead customers by say that they were renewing their order so people would just okay the address confirmation and that would be that. As for these taped confirmations of sales, they would reuse tapes with people confirming addresses. They would even go so far as to use tapes with different amounts and one of their other companies. They would use the excuse "we bought them out".

All of these companies are connected some how. Pinacle Publishing and M.D.S.C. Publishing are currently being run from Welland, Ontario (76 Division St.). The phone number is 905-735-2052. When you call ask the girl what company you are calling and listen to the well rehearsed line. "It depends on what your invoice number is." Yeah, that's a legitimate company alright.

Hi Robert

Dear Jay,

You won't see a paper confirmation of order or a contract either! Nor will you see a "proof" of your listing. Legitimate directories provide all of these.

You will note that anyone with a telephone and a laser printer could do this scam. Their biggest weapon is the phone. Be kind and firmly refuse to talk to them. When they know you won't pay and that you are aware of the fraud they are attempting, they usually go away -- for a while. You should report these people to the Postal authorities for mail fraud. Your Attorney General's office will be able to help you further.

It is possible that millions of dollars are being scammed by these people. If "Genesta" at World Wide Source really did rip off 1000 people in her two years there (she quit because she wasn't making enough money ripping people off), the potential fraud is $400,000 from her calls alone! World Wide Source claims to have several hundred "operators" so it isn't hard to follow the money.