Beware of a telephone scam from ' Ikonic Publications '

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Ben Rogers

  • #1
    BEWARE!! IKONIC PUBLICATIONS TRY TO SCAM BUSINESSES

    Someone called me today asking me to pay £120 for an advert that I was told appeared on the back of a booklet.

    The woman who called me (she said her name was Laura stephens) was calling from a business called Ikonic Publications, based in a business unit in Manchester.

    The conversation went as follows:

    Laura: " Hi, well your ad is now complete and the child protection mag went out to 7 schools. We put your company details on the back of each booklet. The outstanding payment comes to £120 - who will you be making payment?"

    Me: "Who are you, and why are you calling me?"

    **Eventually, after a lot of irrelavent waffle about child protection**

    Laura: "I called in June and arranged with Leo to put your details on our booklet"

    Me: "Firstly - I am the only person who works here, as I am a sole trader who is self employed" Second, there is no-one he or related to me or my business called Leo - Leo is just the name of my business"

    I am being calm and talking softly and slowly, but Laura hangs up.

    I dial 1471 but number is withheld.

    I find the Ikonic Publications website, but no phone number there only and address and email.

    I call 118500 and get a number for that address - the guy who answers denies any knowledge of the business.

    I am reluctant to email them because I don't want to give them further info about me or my business.

    These people are clearly FRAUDSTERS - if I was a bigger company, the chances are that someone in the office (Idont have an office or emplyees) would have just paid this - this is what these people rely on.

    Does anyone know how I could prosecute these criminals and even sue them for me time.

    Has anyone had experience of these low lifes?

    Get intouch

    Thanks for reading, I feel a bit better now.
     
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    Sphinx

    Sphinx

    Free Member
    Nov 8, 2008
    106
    17
    Leeds
  • #3
    I've had this before, not from this company but from a couple of others that say i agreed to something a few months ago and now need payment as the publication has been distributed. Very similar to the conversation you had. When challenged they make excuses and hang up.

    I am the only person who answers the phone, I know exactly what i agreed to.
     
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    Jaydee

    Free Member
    May 27, 2007
    1,080
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  • #8
    Ikonic was set up in October 2007 by Andrew Bates, its sole director, after his resignation as a director of Carroll-Dillon Publishing, which specialised in selling high-cost leaflets on "good causes" to small businesses.

    In Ireland, Carroll-Dillon published a drugs book deemed "totally unsuitable" by the Irish National Teachers Organisation. The firm paid for Bates' brother, Ian Bates, to stay in a luxury Dublin hotel in 2006. Ian Bates was convicted at Manchester Crown Court in 2002 of conspiracy to defraud by selling adverts in an anti-drug book, aimed at school children, through Fullerton Publications, which he controlled. Andrew Bates is also a director of Core Media Services which sells pricey leaflets for schools on drug and other issues. Companies House is now proposing to strike off Core Media as they have not filed accounts nor annual return.

    Ikonic's annual return is overdue too.
     
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    *Lexxy*

    *Lexxy*

    Free Member
    Sep 20, 2008
    1,147
    250
    East Midlands
  • #10
    get these type of calls every couple of months, exactly same scenario as already described.

    they just hope they'll strike lucky - but hit a brick wall with the likes of us who are the only ones that answer the phone/deal with anything like that.

    as soon as that's explained, they usually give in/hang up pretty quickly. i'm sure they must get some success with larger companies...otherwise they wouldn't bother doing it.
     
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    Angie C

    Free Member
    Nov 20, 2008
    1
    0
  • #13
    We've just had a letter off Ikonic publications claiming that we made a verbal agreement and that if we did not pay them within 7 days they were going to take us to court. We are 100% positive that we did not agree to such a thing, and was really glad to read your story about it being a scam.

    We're going to report them to Trading Standards tomorrow.
     
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    S

    spigwell

  • #15
    Sounds very familiar.

    We usually get a company calling from Liverpool with the same pitch. They seem to appear every 2 - 3 months. They actually threatened to send some rather large members of there collection department round to see me if I refused to pay. (This was after a lot of angry words were exchanged between us I might add). I explained that I would use the same persuasion bat I have that I use to deter potential shoplifters, on said collectors, I then went into a long winded speech that it is history repeating itself as it is the exact same bat that had me jailed for 20 years due to excessive use on the last set of people who tried to scam me.

    No one has ever shown up here and the calls also seem to have stopped.

    Gary
     
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    T

    telemax

  • #16
    I used to know someone who worked in a company like this in Canada about 15 years ago. They would only ring big companies, and actually send out these rubbish fax directories worth 2$, then send an invoice for 120$ along with a reminder phone call. They got loads of people paying up, amazingly it was all legal. The companies were so big, no one bothered asking whether they had been ordered or not.

    I've developed numerous responses to dealing with these phonecalls, from pretending not to understand English very well, to making out that my mobile keeps cracking up losing signal. That soon gets rid of em for good
     
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    B

    Ben Rogers

  • #18
    Angie C said:
    We've just had a letter off Ikonic publications claiming that we made a verbal agreement and that if we did not pay them within 7 days they were going to take us to court. We are 100% positive that we did not agree to such a thing, and was really glad to read your story about it being a scam.

    We're going to report them to Trading Standards tomorrow.
    Click to expand...

    They are now posing as an anti-bullying charity! These people need locking up - thank you for pursuing them!
     
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    tc-prop

    Free Member
    Nov 21, 2008
    7
    0
  • #19
    this company is also trading as education support publications they have tryed to con me back in august. the director is replying to blogs on a web site to try and worm his way out of this scam. Its a total con regardless of what he says. to view this blog it is on the mirror news paper web site. Type a google search of the full name education support publications and scroll down to the part that says stand firm in the face of threats
     
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    M

    MJPSparky

  • #20
    Hi - 'newbie' here. I've just found this site after Googling on Ikonic Publications; have to say it's almost reassuring to know I'm the potential victim of a scam. I had a phone call a couple of days ago telling me that back in the spring of this year, I'd agreed to sponsor 30 children's books. True to form, a sample book and an invoice for £199 arrived this morning.

    Ideally I'd like to respond in a way which stops this rogue dead in his tracks (dead - now there's a thought...:)) - I don't want to get into any protracted correspondence or waste valuable time on this scumbag. Any (legal) suggestions gratefully received.
     
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    danb28

  • #22
    Hey lucky people,
    I would like to say that this scam has just happened to my father’s joinery company, "Site Safety" to him this means on a building site.... so I think he accepted unaware of the real nature of the call....
    Luckily enough he didn’t make a payment and when the "invoice" came in it was for £149. When I looked up the company online after receiving a sample booklet of "Drugs Thugs and Internet Bugs" i found that the company address was different? and then Google showed me this site,

    I would like to thank you for putting this on Google, without it it would not have been easy to know for sure it was a fake!

    What now? Has anyone passed information to the police or the trading standards?

    I think it would be a good idea to try and get the sort code and account number for the "company" as this would be able to track the person that opened the account? they mention on this letter that the can take payment by BACS or CHAPS thus they would need to give out the Bank Details.

    Kind Regards,
    Son of D Bain Joiner and building contractor - Danny.bainvirgin.net
    As I am not alowed to post URL's put an at sign btween the bain and the virgin for my email address, XD
     
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    danb28

  • #24
    Hey lucky people,
    I would like to say that this scam has just happened to my father’s joinery company, "Site Safety" to him this means on a building site.... so I think he accepted unaware of the real nature of the call....
    Luckily enough he didn’t make a payment and when the "invoice" came in it was for £149. When I looked up the company online after receiving a sample booklet of "Drugs Thugs and Internet Bugs" i found that the company address was different? and then Google showed me this site,

    I would like to thank you for putting this on Google, without it it would not have been easy to know for sure it was a fake!

    What now? Has anyone passed information to the police or the trading standards?

    I think it would be a good idea to try and get the sort code and account number for the "company" as this would be able to track the person that opened the account? they mention on this letter that the can take payment by BACS or CHAPS thus they would need to give out the Bank Details.

    Kind Regards,
    Son of D Bain Joiner and building contractor - EMAIL - Danny.bainvirgin.net
    As I am not alowed to post URL's put an "AT" sign btween the bain and the virgin for my email address, XD
     
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    tc-prop

    Free Member
    Nov 21, 2008
    7
    0
  • #25
    Ah the sample book i recieved has the addres being Ikonic publications ltd unit 96, 2 Sawley Road Miles platting Manchester m408bb. I ran google earth to see how far apart they are. Lets just say you can throw a stone! But i'm still sure that this is all from the same company,ESP and ikonic. Does any one elses sample book have a comment inside from the director who is known as Andrew Bates?
     
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    C

    chrislees

  • #26
    Hi, i have just been sent my copy of the "book" and an invoice????
    any tips on what i should do i.e forget or complain?? is there any chance these people can get anything from me?
    Any info would be great, thanks.
     
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    M

    MJPSparky

  • #28
    Trading Standards are well aware of Ikonic and their tricks (I just wish TS would do something about them!:mad:). You need to ring your local TS office and tell them what you've received. TS will give you a reference number and probably ask to be kept updated.

    The standard advice seems to be to return the book and the invoice (using Recorded Delivery) with a covering note stating you did not and never would have entered into a contract with Ikonic. Whatever you do, don't sign your covering letter - signatures can be copied by rogues like Ikonic.

    Be prepared to be bombarded with threats to take you to court. Ignore them. If your phone(s) are capable of it, ensure you have Caller Display enabled, and don't pick up if "Withheld" is displayed. (Incidentally, it's usually a good idea to ignore "Unavailable" and "International" - usually used by types who want something from you. Doctors' surgeries sometimes withhold their numbers for obvious reasons, but they tend to leave a message.)

    Back to Ikonic...the book I'm looking at has Andrew Bates' name in it. It's aimed at 6-9 year-olds, which is interesting because in the latest call from Ikonic the female on the other end asked whether we'd like the book distributed to primary or secondary schools...:rolleyes:

    Incidentally, is anyone here less than 100 miles from Manchester? I get the impression Ikonic targets people too far away to go round to its industrial unit (I looked up the postcode on Google Earth) and beat the living daylights out of Bates and his band. :cool:
     
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    MartCactus

    MartCactus

    Free Member
    Sep 25, 2007
    983
    214
    London, England
  • #29
    chrislees said:
    Hi, i have just been sent my copy of the "book" and an invoice????
    any tips on what i should do i.e forget or complain?? is there any chance these people can get anything from me?
    Any info would be great, thanks.
    Click to expand...

    Just ignore them, or if you're feeling confident tell them exactly where to stick it. They will not sue you because its a scam, and they'll get kicked out of court. They might make threats but they will not go to court, because they are criminals, and criminals don't tend to fare so well in court.

    If we paid every loser who sent us an invoice claiming we'd agreed to something we have not, we'd be bankrupt by now. So just don't worry about it, you know its a scam, and they know its a scam too. They won't pursue it - if you research on the web you'll find no one ever gets sued by these guys.

    Mart
     
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    DPH

    Free Member
    Nov 29, 2008
    1
    0
  • #30
    Hi im new here and i too found this forum by googling ikonic.
    My first contact was in aug when i was on holiday i answered a call from michelle from ikonic, she said the books i sponsered have gone to print and they would like me to nominate a school to recieve these free books.
    I replied i dont no who you are and they said we contacted you in april i must of forgot.
    the next day i got a call asking for a billing adresse which i declined, i have then been hounded every day since asking for payment !
    When i did finally decide to query it with them i said that i have no written contract from them, they stated that they have a recording of me agreeing to it, i then asked for a copy of the recording to be sent my head office, were still waiting !
    ive reported it to the police but unless i give them any money they tell me theres nothing they can do

    at least im reassured by seeing this, i thought i was going mad
     
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    C

    chrislees

  • #31
    Hi all just had a call to ask why I hadnt paid my bill yet, so told them I hadnt agreed to anything and was told I had a verbal contract ? When they called a week ago I had told then I didn't know anything about the "book" and they asked if my details were correct as in business name and address.
    this time they told me they will pursue the costs as I told them it was a scam and wouldn't be paying a penny. Also spoke to trading standards they said to wright explaining that no contract had been agreed and to take me from there data base under data protection laws and never call again
    still a little worried tho anyone been though this and come out the other side victorious ?
    any help would be great thanks
     
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    danb28

  • #33
    well ur right there we are in scotland and have just had the court action letter today, signed by yet another sqigel! the laws for distance selling are clear and information about the terms and cond should be sent these wernt and the web site for them T's and C's are "under construction" the last call we had was a young sounding english guy? alot of talk about this "Laura"
     
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    danb28

  • #34
    we are just ignoring it now. figger if they want to take us to court then let them. then we dont have to deal with it! and there are so many lose ends that there is no way they would win. think about the small claim's court is up to 5grand matters, for £149 do u think they would really do that? i think they seem to miss lead people by saying "Site Safty" and to most in that industry that would naturaly mean building site and not internet site.... this is clear miss selling.
     
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    Elvis

    Free Member
    Dec 14, 2008
    1
    0
  • #35
    Whatever you do, don't pay!!! just have a bit of fun with them....These Companies trick busy people into agreeing on their mobiles by confusing them saying they have already agreed. They then call them back and tape them (pretending they are double checking details) The call recordings are not taped from the beginning of the call, just from when they have tricked the person so that it all seems in order. They will never take you to court. (In fact they could be shut down if a group of people went to court together claiming the same thing!!!) The only thing that trading standards can get them on is the underhand way that they get people to 'agree' to do this i.e. calling and telling them that they have previously agreed.
     
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    DayTM

    DayTM

    Free Member
    Feb 20, 2008
    33
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    Saundersfoot, Wales
  • #36
    I've been getting a few of these from a number of companies. I actually fell for it once earlier this year and paid out for an ad after they talked me into it. I did a big blog post on it and it gets a lot of traffic from people who've been targeted. Now when I get them on the phone, I'm very firm, I don't say yes to anything and then I explain the scam back to them and keep them on the line as long as possible (it costs them money). They usually hang up. Despite them initially telling me they're ready to invoice me, I'm yet to get one following one of these calls.

    It's also worth looking out because sometime companies that haven't phoned you will just send an invoice and hope you pay it as you're so busy and not on top of what's going on. Ignore 'em. Sometimes they will send debt collection letters and court papers, but usually the debt company is owned by the same people as the publishing one. As for the court papers, they're applications rather than actual summons, but designed (like the rest of the scam) to scare you into paying.

    I got caught once and I think that's why I'm on their list and continuing to be called. Here's some of the companies to look out for in relation to this scam:

    Millennium Media
    SSA Design (now calling as Sutcliffe And Co.)
    NW Media
     
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    M

    musicman61

  • #37
    Ben Rogers said:
    BEWARE!! IKONIC PUBLICATIONS TRY TO SCAM BUSINESSES

    Someone called me today asking me to pay £120 for an advert that I was told appeared on the back of a booklet.

    The woman who called me (she said her name was Laura stephens) was calling from a business called Ikonic Publications, based in a business unit in Manchester.

    The conversation went as follows:

    Laura: " Hi, well your ad is now complete and the child protection mag went out to 7 schools. We put your company details on the back of each booklet. The outstanding payment comes to £120 - who will you be making payment?"

    Me: "Who are you, and why are you calling me?"

    **Eventually, after a lot of irrelavent waffle about child protection**

    Laura: "I called in June and arranged with Leo to put your details on our booklet"

    Me: "Firstly - I am the only person who works here, as I am a sole trader who is self employed" Second, there is no-one he or related to me or my business called Leo - Leo is just the name of my business"

    I am being calm and talking softly and slowly, but Laura hangs up.

    I dial 1471 but number is withheld.

    I find the Ikonic Publications website, but no phone number there only and address and email.

    I call 118500 and get a number for that address - the guy who answers denies any knowledge of the business.

    I am reluctant to email them because I don't want to give them further info about me or my business.

    These people are clearly FRAUDSTERS - if I was a bigger company, the chances are that someone in the office (Idont have an office or emplyees) would have just paid this - this is what these people rely on.

    Does anyone know how I could prosecute these criminals and even sue them for me time.

    Has anyone had experience of these low lifes?

    Get intouch

    Thanks for reading, I feel a bit better now.
    Click to expand...

    i have had same dealings with this company they called me and thanked me for all there help and refered to a conversation the had with me in april this year (2008) well due to unforseen surcumstances in april this year it was impossible for anyone to have called me and speak to me on my mobile number as my mobile at the time was in an evidance locker in my local police station and i was in a local HMP but ikonic insist they spoke to me and that they can indeed prove it they have been asked to write to me and email me but as yet since september they have done nither of these things they phone me almost daily i for one wqould definatly recomend anyone stay well clear of these people if they were genuine i would say that what they offer is a good idea
     
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    tc-prop

    Free Member
    Nov 21, 2008
    7
    0
  • #38
    This company is a scam, for the people worried out there-don't be. They don't carry out any of their threats what so ever. :(The company contacted me in august this year using the name education support publications(the other name they trade as) and hounded my phone every day. Since Nick summerland from the mirror news paper turned up at ikonics address 2 months ago and confronted the director, :D calls from esp droped to only once a week. Ihave had no contact from esp/ikonic for a long time, the last anonoymous calls were over 3 weeks ago, 1 of them i answered but that turned out to be vardis:mad:- another scam! I guess that the others were vardis too. Please check out the comments made on mirror blogs from the director of ikonic. He too has stopped posting comments there 3 weeks ago. and calls from esp have stopped to me well over 4 weeks ago! My advice is to ignore all withheld nos if you have caller id on the phone- if its real customers they would leave a message. Also ignore all threatning letters from them, they will eventually give up and move on to another "victim".
    Again just google esp's full name and scroll down the page where it says "stand firm in the face of threats";)
     
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    magcaz

    Free Member
    Jan 26, 2009
    3
    0
    Bristol
  • #40
    Hi

    I was called in May 2008 with saying would you like to sponsor some books with your company name on the book. and I said to them send me some details. Next mintue I am getting phone calls say that it is now due for payment last week i had about 20 calls from them I phoned my sister who said to me to phone our local tradeing standards she then went on to the web site and typed in the companies name and that is when we saw this Beware of a telephone scam from "Ikonic Publications" they where wanting my card details they where saying if i pay today i can get a discount. I told them today not to phone me as I am reporting them to the trading standards as they are a scam the man on the phone Leo said it is not a scam and they will keep on phoneing me every day and they will keep on hounding me and they will take me to court and i will get CCJ's

    how can i get them off my back i do not have the money to pay as i am a sole trader and my bussiness is finding it very hard.

    I phoned my local Trading standards they said i must write a letter saying that I have not entred into a contract and they must prove it if they cannot prove it then they must leave me alone.

    Please can anyone give me any adivce
     
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