Directory scam halted

By THIS IS MONEY
Updated:

 

THE Office of Fair Trading has acted to halt a scam that misled businesses over the directory enquiries service. Box Telecom Ltd, Mediaburst Ltd, The Telephone Directory Ltd and directors Jeremy Bygrave and Alexander Heslip have agreed to stop issuing misleading advertising for the www.192directoryenquiries.net internet business directory.

The Salford-based companies and their two directors provided written assurances under the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations after the case was referred to the OFT by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The advertisements, sent by fax, invited businesses to send their details to a premium-rate fax line if they wished to amend or in some instances maintain their entry in the www.192directoryenquiries.net internet directory.

The advertising misled by giving the false impression that:

• The faxes were sent by or on behalf of a telephone company providing a directory enquiry service accessed by telephoning '192', such as BT.

• Recipients of the faxes would be listed (or continue to be listed) in the www.192directoryenquiries.net directory only if the fax was returned.

The OFT recently obtained a final injunction in the High Court against Planet Telecom Plc of Wigan, director Peter Hutcheon and former director John Tonge, to stop similar misleading advertisements for the www.directoryenquiries.biz internet directory (formerly www.192enquiries.com).

John Vickers, Director General of Fair Trading, said: 'This is the second time in recent months that the OFT has taken action against misleading directory enquiries advertising. We will continue to work with the ASA and Trading Standards to prevent any advertising that misleads customers.'

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