On Your Toes.(protecting your business from con-artists)(Brief Article)

Arbor Age, March, 2001

Unscrupulous con artists are continually targeting small and mid-size businesses with false bills and order forms for ads and directory listings. As some of the most prominent yellow page advertisers nationwide, tree services, nurseries and florists are especially likely to be targeted by these scams.

"There is no specific season for these scams," says Robyn Frankel, with the Yellow Pages Publishers Association (YPPA). "They're a year-round problem. The scams usually promise the intended victim a listing on the internet, in the yellow pages, or in a business directory, and they usually arrive via mail with an official-looking invoice requesting payment. The scammers rely on the inexperience of a bookkeeper or accounts payable person--or a lack of...