Yellow Pages Invoice scam (fraud).
U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection: “That invoice bearing the familiar ‘walking fingers’ logo and the name ‘Yellow Pages’ could be a camouflaged invitation to lose money. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, and the Yellow Pages Association (YPA) caution businesses that unscrupulous promoters are soliciting advertising for online, alternative, or nonexistent business directories. Although these directories appear to be legitimate Yellow Pages publications, they are not distributed to the public, posted on the Web, or promoted as promised. As a result, the directories — if they exist at all — offer no benefits to businesses that pay to advertise in them. The solicitation to buy directory ad space or membership may look like an invoice and bear the ‘walking fingers’ logo and the Yellow Pages name. Neither the name nor the logo is protected by federal copyright or trademark registration. That’s how fraudulent promoters are able to lead businesses to believe they are affiliated with local telephone directories distributed in a particular area.
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