Is this fraudulent?

Phil.9 · Feb 17, 2012

I recieved a letter through the post today containing a bill for £298.68 from a company called Slom Solution Limited in Croydon. It's purportedly for inclusion of my business details in their online directory:

britishintheweb.co.uk

I've never heard of this directory though and I've certainly never requested that my business details be registered in it.

This seems to me like some kind of scam which operates just within the law, i.e. they send a bill out to all the companies they've got the details for and happily take the cash from those naive enough to pay up. For those that complain I expect there response would be somewhere along the lines of, "that's fine we'll remove you from the directory".

I expect a lot of people will see the bill as one they're obliged to pay, which I think is morally wrong and in fact could be illegal. If anyone knows about that or has come across something similar I'd like to hear about it.

Thanks

Phil

Super Simon · Feb 17, 2012

Phil.9 said:
I recieved a letter through the post today containing a bill for £298.68 from a company called Slom Solution Limited in Croydon. It's purportedly for inclusion of my business details in their online directory:

britishintheweb.co.uk

I've never heard of this directory though and I've certainly never requested that my business details be registered in it.

This seems to me like some kind of scam which operates just within the law, i.e. they send a bill out to all the companies they've got the details for and happily take the cash from those naive enough to pay up. For those that complain I expect there response would be somewhere along the lines of, "that's fine we'll remove you from the directory".

I expect a lot of people will see the bill as one they're obliged to pay, which I think is morally wrong and in fact could be illegal. If anyone knows about that or has come across something similar I'd like to hear about it.

Thanks

Phil

It's a scam that prays on those who are not so business savvy and relies on those people to just send in the money without or with little question.

The only place you should be filing that invoice... is in your waste paper bin.

Bethan · Feb 17, 2012

We've just had the same letter. Mine's going to my contact in Trading Standards...

Steve2507 · Feb 17, 2012

You'll probably find it's worded in such a way so it is perfectly legal.

Immoral, but not illegal.

wdog5555 · Feb 17, 2012

I got exactly the same letter this morning!

It's just a variation of that old 'world business guide' or whatever there calling themselves now scam........

Don't pay it or respond in anyway to the letter, just bin it and forget it.

I just Googled the fax number in the letter and it seems tied in to a couple of other 'business directory' type sites (and 3 other limited companies!).

Phil.9 · Feb 17, 2012

Yep thought so, thanks for the responses.

I just hope the message gets out quick enough so that as few people as possible fall for it. Ideally the company will be shut down and the people involved prosecuted. I'd have thought a lawyer could argue that this is obtaining money through deception or something.

What's the best way to get the message out about this? Watchdog or something?

I'll be sending my letter to Trading Standards as well.

Phil.9 · Feb 17, 2012

Well I've just been to actionfraud.org.uk to report this, rang them up and they were busy so I tried the online submission thing.

There wasn't a category for this type of fraud though so I was unable to submit the report...

captaincloser · Feb 17, 2012

Phil.9 said:
I'll be sending my letter to Trading Standards as well.

If the 'scam' originates in Croydon that's also the Trading Standards office where your enquiry/ silver bullit needs to be sent.

Contacting your own Trading Standards office is a waste of time. They all have too much to deal with on their own patch to be dealing with stuff on another side of the country.

Always more fruitful to contact a 'scammers' local Trading Standards office.

wdog5555 · Feb 17, 2012

Phil.9 said:
What's the best way to get the message out about this? Watchdog or something?

I'll be sending my letter to Trading Standards as well.

Although I'd personally class this as a scam, as someone pointed out it probably is legal (even if only just, same as all the 'advertise in the Police year planner for charity' advert scams).

You've posted the details on this forum, & (as I found) it comes up when you Google parts of the letter, that's probably the best and most effective way to combat the scam.......

Personally, I wouldn't waste your time trying to involve trading standards, watchdog etc, just treat it as part of your learning curve and move on and concentrate on running your business.

Deleted member 127702 · Feb 20, 2012

Just got the same thing; how do these people sleep at night?

altwebdesign · Feb 20, 2012

wow, seems like a lot of UKBF business people got this.

If I ever recieve anything like that, I just drop them a call syaing I never applied for this, theres been an error, usually they are fine to simply remove you, however they will probably keep your details on file and always contact you, even if you ask them to remove you!

Markandrew · Feb 21, 2012

Wonder what their strike ratio is! Have received two of their letters in the past week and am so pleased I have found this forum, thank you for your advice. Like others I plan to send to the Croydon T/S office.

Thanks again
Mark

captaincloser · Feb 21, 2012

Address appears to be a Regus serviced office block at 2 Lansdowne road, CR9 2ER . REgus are obliged to say if this is simply a mail drop or an actual office for this crew.

Edmund Walcot · Feb 21, 2012

We had on of these too. I have sent the folloing to the LA trading standards dept:

[FONT=&quot]London Borough of Croydon[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Trading Standards
Taberner House
Park Lane
Croydon CR9 3JS[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]21 February 2012[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Dear Trading Standards[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]SLOM SOLUTIONS LIMITED[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Please find attached a document masquerading as a legitimate invoice which reached us today. We have no knowledge with this firm and no history of any dealings with it. We have commissioned no services from it.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]My attempts to get through to SLOM by telephone failed. After the voice menu of options, I am told they are very busy and that I shall have to wait an indeterminate time before getting an answer.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The internet provides references to others who feel duped by this firm. See, for example <this page's URL cited in letter>.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Please accept this as a formal complaint against what appears to be unscrupulous and misleading conduct by a business operating in your area. [/FONT]

popunder · Feb 21, 2012

wdog5555 said:
Personally, I wouldn't waste your time trying to involve trading standards, watchdog etc, just treat it as part of your learning curve and move on and concentrate on running your business.

Not reporting it is what the scammers rely on and it just lets them get away with ripping off more people - DEFINITELY everyone who gets one report it otherwise it will just carry on.

wdog5555 · Feb 21, 2012

popunder said:
Not reporting it is what the scammers rely on and it just lets them get away with ripping off more people - DEFINITELY everyone who gets one report it otherwise it will just carry on.

Yep, bad advice from me, reporting probably is the best way to go.........

In my early days I used to send stuff to trading standards and the like, but it always seemed like a waste of time.

These companies just spring up under another name (a quick search revealed 3 different associated Ltd companies for Slom Solution Ltd).

The no vat bit in the invoice, serviced office etc might point to a company based in another country as the UK Ltd company bit is often used as a front for these types of scams.

Still, I could be wrong.................(& probably am

)

Loundshay · Feb 21, 2012

Just got same thing, weird that bill claims to be VAT-exempt, so I think the best place to send it on is the VAT Office for Croydon

quikshop · Feb 21, 2012

leigh delamere said:
Just got the same thing; how do these people sleep at night?

In a very big comfy bed surrounded by mood lighting and a large wall-mounted flat screen

Honestly, why are "business" people getting all bent out of shape about this? These scams are ten-a-penny and most perfectly legal, just bin and move on with your day

popunder · Feb 21, 2012

Not sure what a "perfectly legal scam" is. And the reason they're "ten a penny" is perhaps because nobody does anything about them, and the scammers can carry on ripping people off safe in that knowledge.

iArtist · Feb 21, 2012

Be careful about phoning scam companies. Another part of the scam could be a premium rate helpline number! Either way they rake it in.

CroydonTradingStandards · Feb 21, 2012

Please see Croydon Council's website and press release re Slom solution ltd.

It would be helpful if anyone receiving these could make a complaint via Consumer Direct on 08454 040506 so that the data is recorded centrally, and then passed directly to the relevant Trading Standards Department for appropriate action.

The Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008 make it an offence to send misleading advertisements.

Nuno · Feb 21, 2012

I wonder what the take up rate would have been if they called themselves something like 'Crown Solutions' or 'AJ&P Partners' rather than 'Slom'?

Who trusts a company dim enough to call itself Slom? (Urban Dictionary; SLOM: Sticking Leeches On Myself).

Altho' they might be having a laugh. All the way to the bank.

HelenR · Feb 23, 2012

Our organisation also received this mailing and saw it as a legitimate demand for payment.

We are a charity based on an island and would never spend this amount to appear on anyone's website as our customer base is limited. The website 'britishintheweb.co.uk' is not recognised by our web browser anyway.

On the back of the document it does say that it is not a demand for payment, but an invitation to prolong your company details on their website.

Would be interesting to know just how much they make out of this from people who take it at face value. Chuck it in the bin!

kmbrad · Feb 24, 2012

Had the same invoice come this morning.

Document Number: 137797GB
Docket Number: 658741WEW21

Would be interesting to know if they're all the same?

Checked the company registration number through our credit monitoring service. The date of corporation was only 9th December 2011.

Mr Jevgenijs Botasevs is the director, and his DOB is 15th March 1982.

I'll probably keep my invoice until March and then enclose it with a birthday card.

If you go to Royal Mails website and type in the address, The Lansdowne Building is operated by another company who let out virtual offices.

It's on my monitoring now so if anything changes I'll let you know.

HelenR · Feb 24, 2012

Our Document No. is different (264620GB) and is also quoted as our Customer Account No. but the Docket No. is exactly the same (656741WEW21)

AndyL · Feb 24, 2012

Ain't you got anything better to do with your time than worrying about this sort of thing. Contacting the Trading Standards blah blah blah, if you didn't ask to go in then don't pay... simples

They are asking you for money to be included, don't pay, don't be included, how easy is that?

Method Man · Feb 24, 2012

AndyL said:
Ain't you got anything better to do with your time than worrying about this sort of thing. Contacting the Trading Standards blah blah blah, if you didn't ask to go in then don't pay... simples

They are asking you for money to be included, don't pay, don't be included, how easy is that?

I understand your sentiment Sir but worded somewhat abrasively?

GreatSEO · Feb 24, 2012

thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Businesses-warned-advertising-scam/story-15298448-detail/story.html

You will need to put in the www.

Dave

CroydonTradingStandards · Nov 15, 2012

Press Release - Tue, 13 Nov 2012
Latvian director of Slom Solution sham kicked out of UK

The director of a sham company set up solely to defraud businesses across the country has been sentenced to eight months' jail suspended for two years, excluded from the UK for two years and disqualified from holding a directorship for five years.

And Slom Solutions, the company set up by Latvian Jevgenijs Botasevs, was given six months to pay a £20,000 fine, £2,055 costs and compensation of almost £600 to two of the defrauded businesses.

At Croydon Crown Court, on Friday (9 November), both Botasevs and Slom Solutions Ltd pleaded guilty to two counts of misleading marketing under the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008.

The court heard that 30-year-old Botasevs, from Riga but with an address in Hull, had registered Slom Solutions in his home town in January. The business address was a mailbox at Lansdowne House, Lansdowne Road, Croydon.

In February, Croydon's trading standards team issued a warning to businesses to be wary of invoices for inclusion in a web directory.

Since issuing the warning, the trading standards team has received 295 complaints from businesses across the UK regarding misleading invoices.
The invoices, providing the details of Slom Solution Ltd and an associated bank account, demanded payment of £298.68 to cover the cost of having the recipient's company and contact details included in the online directory. The inference was that the company had requested its inclusion. In a number of cases, the requested sum was paid without checks being made to verify the validity of the invoice.

Trading standards officers contacted all of the companies that had sent payments by cheque or who tried to make BACS payments. Without exception, all stated that they believed the document was an invoice for services they had ordered.

Botasevs would not say how many invoices had been sent out, but officers received 295 complaints, and 65 payments were included among more than 607 responses to the company address.

The invoices were posted in envelopes that had hand-applied second-class postage stamps and bore the legend "Return address: Mava, PO Box 399, Dartford DA1 9JP."

Mava Concepts Ltd was investigated by Kent's trading standards department during 2011 for carrying out almost identical practices regarding the sending out of misleading invoices from rented virtual offices.

Councillor Simon Hoar, cabinet member for community safety, said: "Thanks to the work of our trading standards team, many companies became aware of this scam and were able to act accordingly.
"It's very likely that if our officers hadn't taken immediate action to stop the company's activities the postings would have continued and the scam could have affected many thousands of businesses across the UK, netting significantly more than the almost £20,000 in payments that trading standards discovered.

"In these straitened times, businesses can't afford to lose sums of money to bogus invoices, and this case underlines how important it is to have strict accounting measures in place and to make sure those measures are strictly applied."

TheBusinessClub · Nov 15, 2012

Hi All

The site has now been suspended.

OldWelshGuy · Nov 15, 2012

So no money was recovered and nothing happened to the guy other than being sent home, which means the company will go down the pan and not be able to pay the fine, while he goes back to latvia to enjoy his money he scammed?

Or am I reading that wrong?

Walkol · Nov 15, 2012

Think so!

We had a similar case here with Expo-guide (expo-guide.com). Someone filled out a form asking up to update company details, which appeared to be from a expo we were about to attend. Few weeks later, they're are after $1300 a year in advertising! Had approximately 30-35 letters from then, including about 10 final notices and 15 legal department letters. Think our last invoice was up to circa $5000! Best bet with these companies, send everything back to them in the mail, with no postage paid in the hope they think its cheques and have to pay royal mail. Job done.

Moneyman · Nov 15, 2012

I keep getting these things and it is hard to keep juniors from signing an advert that you the boss have ordered and they are "just checking the phone number and sending back the document". I just never pay even if it is signed. They wont win in court so the best thing to do is just write "scam see you in court if you dare" it wont stop the letters.
How about a subforum for scambaiters.

Nuno · Nov 15, 2012

How much did this cost Trading Standards to investigate and save all this £20K+?

Who are these businesses that give their money away? Do Darwin's rules apply?

Do Trading Standards investigate the Nigerian email scams on the basis of "... could have affected many thousands of businesses across the UK, netting significantly more than the almost £20,000 in payments that trading standards discovered..."
If not, why not?

Walkol · Nov 15, 2012

Moneyman said:
How about a subforum for scambaiters.

Good idea IMO.

Talay · Nov 15, 2012

same as international fax directory of the 1990s

10032012 · Nov 15, 2012

Maybe I am completely dumb but Trading Standards worked out the value of the scam by the few companies complaining who sent details of their payment but NOT by the paper trail of the bank account of the scam? or maybe I am wrongly assuming.

Nathanto · Nov 18, 2012

Nuno said:
How much did this cost Trading Standards to investigate and save all this £20K+?

Probably much more than £20k however if TS had done nothing there's no question a lot more businesses would have been taken in.

I don't think you're being fair to the majority of those who were conned; the businesses weren't being stupid, they were deliberately mislead by criminals which is why action was taken.

Nuno said:
Do Trading Standards investigate the Nigerian email scams ... If not, why not?

Because the Nigerian scams are by definition not based in the UK and so there is little if anything that UK authorities can do about them?

Nuno · Nov 18, 2012

Nathanto said:
Probably much more than £20k however if TS had done nothing there's no question a lot more businesses would have been taken in.

I don't think you're being fair to the majority of those who were conned; the businesses weren't being stupid, they were deliberately mislead by criminals which is why action was taken.

Whether or not "a lot more businesses would have been taken in" depends on how many dipstick thick companies there are still trading. In a week where there have been calls to let zombie companies go to the wall, surely we shouldn't have to molly coddle companies who are so thick, careless or badly run as to fall for this?

If a company loses a few hundred quid through gullibility or whatever they either learn from it or do it again. It's happened to me - once. If they keep doing it again they go broke and the resources they use are put to better use. It's madness spending taxpayers money on expensive nannying of them.

On the bright side: all these soon to be unemployed thickos will, from my experience, fit in well at Trading Standards.

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